The Victors' Return
by PeetaMellarkLove
Summary: What happens to Katniss and Peeta upon return from the Games? Who will she choose? Peeta, the boy with the bread or Gale the mysterious character that we have yet to learn more about? Who's heart will she break? What problems will she face? First Fanfic!
1. Reunited

**Hey! I'm thirteen and this is my first ever fanfic and second ever story. Please R&R! Constructive criticism accepted. Tell me what I need to be to become a better author! Thank you ******

**Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins and I do not own The Hunger Games (though I wish I did). **

1. Reunited

I take hold of his hand, dreading the moment that I would have to let go.

I look at Peeta and he smiles. I can see right through him though. The smile is there on his face, but his eyes tell a totally different story. They are empty and hallow. Although he tries not to show it, I can tell how broken he feels.

And it's all because of me. It hurts me so much to know that I have caused him pain. It's worse than having no food or water in the Games. That was physical pain, this hurts me mentally. It makes me feel nauseous and makes my heart ache. I was still so confused. Did I love Peeta? What about Gale? Nothing seemed to make sense.

I stare at him for a moment, thinking, until he gives my hand a little reassuring squeeze. Or did I just imagine that he did?

"Let's go" Peeta says quietly.

The doors of the train open, ever so slowly, revealing a huge crowd and dozens of cameras. _Here we go, _I think.

The moment the train's doors open wide enough to reveal me and Peeta's faces, a billion flash bulbs go off. Everyone wants a picture of the Panem's most famous couple, and not to mention most recent Hunger Games Champion_s_. I stumble, leaning into Peeta because all these flashes are making me dizzy.

We step up out onto the platform and give waves to the crowd. They erupt into ear-splitting cheers and screams.

"_Welcome home Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, District 12 tributes and Hunger Games Champions!" _A booming voice announces through the speakers set up along the platform.

Haymitch comes out of the train to stand behind me and Peeta.

"_Smile. And Peeta, put your arm around Katniss' waist." _He barks.

Peeta lets go of my hand, and I feel a sharp pain as all the blood rushes back to the tips of my fingers. It is only now that I realize that I had been squeezing his hand with a death grip. Peeta obediently wraps his arm around me and places his hand at the small of my waist. It feels almost uncomfortable, having it there.

_Katniss! Peeta! _The crowd shouts. They're chanting our names, over and over again until it sounds like some odd sort of tribal ceremony chant.

I shoot a loving glance at Peeta which he returns. But we both know that these looks are just to keep up the act. _My _act. Peeta was never acting. This reminder makes my stomach feel heavy with guilt. Peeta is in love with me, but sadly I can't return the favor. I can't even begin to sort out my feelings right now. I have so many other things to deal with. I still have to tour the districts, do some more interviews and talk shows, and more. But keeping up the lovers act was one of the main things.

_If the Capitol finds out it was all a stunt…_ I trail off. I don't even want to imagine what they could do to me and my family. This reminds me…Prim! Mother! Gale! I search the crowd, frantically looking for their faces. Finally, I spot them. Prim is crying, her eyes puffy and her nose running. Mother just stares at me, and Gale… Gale is looking strait at Peeta, his eyes are daggers. I am hyper aware of the rest of the crowd. All I see is my family and Gale pushing their way through the crowd towards the platform. In my peripheral vision, I can see Peeta's family- his mother, father and two older brothers- also making their way to him.

"Okay, you can go greet your families now" Haymitch tells us.

The tears are welling up and spilling over now. I give Peeta a swift peck on the cheek, which he returns with a smile before we both separate to meet our families. I see Gale look at Peeta and he hesitates a moment before looking towards me with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. I grin at him but then focus my sights on Prim; I see her and my heart swells with joy. She's almost to me now, so I reach out with my hand to further close the distance between us. Finally, she is in my arms and we are both hugging and laughing and crying.

"Oh Katniss! You're home! I knew you could do it, I knew it!" She cries with her head nestled into my hair. I pick her up and spin her around in the air.

I set her back on the ground and put my hands on her small shoulders. I gently push her back so that I can look at her. "I promised you Prim, I said I would come home. I will _always_ come back to you." I say, smiling and wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

My mother comes up to us both and pulls us into a tight hug. Then she puts both hands on my face and wipes my tears away with her thumbs. "Katniss, Katniss. My baby, you're home." She croons. "You don't know how scared I was. I was afraid… that… you, you wouldn't…" She trails of starting to cry.

"_Shh, shhh," _I hug her and stroke her hair. I hadn't seen my mother this emotional since my dad was blasted to bits in that mine explosion. "I'm here, I'm home now. Safe."

"I know, I know." She sobs. "Your father would have been so proud of you."

Wow, my mother never talked about my father. Ever.

"Hey, Catnip" a voice says says.

I feel a light tap on my shoulder and I turn my head around, but I already know who it's going to be.

"Hold on mom, I have to see Gale" I whisper to my mother.

"Of course, go. We must go home now anyways. We were told to pack our belongings for the new house." She says, smiling.

_Right, _I think to myself, _we're moving out of the Seam. _It was all so unbelievable.

I turn to face Gale and am surprised when he immediately pulls me into a humongous bear-hug.

_Oh Gale,_ I think. I feel so happy, so safe in his arms. But then the guilt comes back again when I see Peeta from over his shoulder.

"Gale you have to put me down." I whisper to him.

"No." he says.

"Gale, _please_." I plead. "I'll explain everything later." I shoot another glance at the Mellarks. He sets me down on the ground and looks at me. His grey eyes are cold and hard.

"Is it because of _him_?" he asks, nodding towards Peeta. He says _him_ with such hardness and I can't bear to look at him anymore. It makes me feel so guilty.

I look down, embarrassed. Gale puts his hand under my chin and forces me to look up at him.

"I said I'd explain. And why would you care anyways?" I snap.

Now it's his turn to look down. He takes my hand and squeezes it before saying "Later, Catnip." Then he turns around and starts making his way out of the crowd.

As he leaves, the Mellark family comes up to greet me. Peeta pulls me into his arms and kisses me on the cheek.

"Oh, isn't that just _adorable!" _his brother, Gavin I think, says mockingly. Peeta kicks him in the shins and Gavin tousles his brother's golden hair jokingly. "Awe, you know I'm just kidding Bro, I'm happy you made it home. Nice job man, getting the girl! She's cute, though I don't see how she'd ever fall for you! " Peeta gives him another blow to the shins for this comment.

"Ow!" he yells, rubbing his shin. "Thanks. Now I'm gonna have a bruise."

"Boys, stop it. Now." His mother says harshly. Her eyes are hard as she looks at me and nods curtly. It's the first time I've really looked at her. Her hair is the same as Peeta's, but that's as far as the resemblance goes. Her face is round and she has small features. Overall, she's pretty, but her scowl transforms her expression into something hard and cold.

Her husband takes my hands and stares at me. I can see how much Peeta resembles his dad. All of his features came from his father except for his hair. He's got light brown hair while Peeta's is a shade darker than gold. But other than that, he's got the same piercing blue eyes, same angular face, same nose, same lips…

I feel a warm sensation on my lips and I bring my hand up to touch them, remembering a kiss in a dark, cold cave.

"Thank you so much; for saving my son's life, for everything." He says, making my attention shift back to the present. The Baker starts tearing up and I glance away, uncomfortable from seeing this tall, strong man crying.

"Thank you too," I say "For watching out for Prim while I was gone."

He chuckles a deep, bellowing laugh, "The little lady would have been fine anyways, selling all those cheeses and plants at the Hob"

I talk some more to the Baker until Haymitch comes up behind me.

"Pardon me for interrupting your little talk, but Katniss will need to come with me now" he says politely to the baker.

Peeta's father nods as he agrees to let me leave. Many people had gone home by this time, so the crowd was pretty thin. Haymitch takes me by the arm and brings me behind a tree.

"Okay Katniss, you get two hours at home and then Effie will be joining us at the Mayor's for supper. The cameras will be on you starting from the moment you get to the Mayor's, so watch your mouth. Don't say anything about the Games if you don't have to. If anyone asks you about your little stunt with the berries, avoid answering directly. Most importantly, keep up the star-crossed lovers act. After dinner, you will be taken straight to the Victor's Village so you can get used to your new home. "

We walk towards the parking lot, where a black limousine is parked, waiting for me to arrive. Haymitch looks me over and nods. "The limo will pick you up at your house at 6:45 so don't be late. I'll see you at dinner."

"I won't" I say, rolling my eyes.

He turns to leave but then stops and looks back at me with a cocky grin.

"Oh, and Katniss?" he says, "Wear something nice."

"Thanks." I mutter sarcastically.


	2. Revelations

**A/N: Thank you Njgirl4ever for my first ever review :) it really made me happy. Also, thank you to everyone else who reviewed. I will be really busy this coming week and I probably won't be able to update, so I'm going to do it early! Ha-ha, well anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! **

**xoxo PeetaMellarkLove :)**

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I duck my head as I step into the long, black limousine. I had never been in a car before; everything between the Seam and the School was within a 6 mile radius from my home, so there was never a need for a car. Besides, there was no way in hell my family could afford one.

_Until now… _I think. But I wasn't about to go off buying a car. There were more important things; helping out the people in the Seam, for one. The winners of the Hunger Games get showered with money, food and clothes from the Capitol. But their district also gets enough supplies to keep them out of poverty for up to a year.

But what happens after the year is over? Everyone gets to go back to being dirt poor. That's what happens. I have to help them, because I know what its like to live that way. Trust me, it sucks.

When I get home, I almost start tearing up. It feels good to be home. The musty smell of my house washes over me as I step in.

_Home, sweet home_ I think, and then mentally correct myself, _well until I get to the new house. _

I take a look around and see that the living room is empty. The only furnishings left were the small table that my father made and the old, pull-out couch. The rest of our decorations were packed into two small boxes. The unnecessary things were going to be left behind because they would be replaced at the new house.

"Katniss?" a voice says to me. I turn around and see my mother standing there.

"Mom… hi, is everything okay?" I see a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Oh, I am fine, it's just that… I'm so happy." She walks forward and embraces me. "Of course I'm not happy that you had to live through all that, but I'm happy because you finally get to grow up not being, you know… poor. I'm sorry I was never there. It's just… just that it was hard. Dealing with your father's death was the hardest thing I ever had to go through." She starts to cry harder now.

"You know, Katniss, I loved that man so much. He was everything to me. When he… died… a part of me left with him, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you to take care of things without me." I realize that tears are spilling from my eyes and I am also crying.

"When Prim was picked," she continues, "I was so scared of losing someone else. Then I saw you go up and volunteer for her, and I realized what a horrible mother I had been." Then she whispers so quiet that I can barely hear her, "I'm so sorry Katniss." She apologizes again and again and each time I tell her that I forgive her. At first, I was reluctant to truly forgive her, but I could see in her eyes how much she meant each apology.

I didn't know what to say. Over the years, walls of frustration and anger had built up inside me. It hurt me that she could never seem to move on, leaving me with a huge load on my shoulders. For a while, I was the hunter, the provider and the mother, doing what I could to keep my family alive. At twelve years old, I was feeding two mouths plus my own, and doing things that twelve year olds should never have to do. She left me and never even lifted a finger in attempt to help me.

But with those four words '_I'm so sorry Katniss',_ those walls that had built up over all those years came crashing down. So, I stood there and cried out four years of anger and hurt.

***

I was sitting on my bed when I found the note. When I saw it, my heart fluttered. It was from Gale.

_Catnip,_

_When you find this, meet me at our usual spot._

_I'll be there waiting. We need to talk. _

_Gale._

I read the note and my heart dropped to my stomach. Why did Gale need to speak to me? Did he..? No, it couldn't be. He wouldn't.

Any way, he was waiting for me and the next thing I know, I am running toward the fence at the edge of the forest.

I find the loose spot in the fence and crawl under carefully, and then make my way to the old, hallowed tree where I kept my hunting tools and weapons. They are there; exactly the same since I had left them. After using the Capitols' high end bows, my flimsy wooden one feels alien in my hands. I take a couple of practice shots on a tree, and find familiarity in the hand made bow. The first few arrows I shoot goes slightly off target but each of the next hits closer and closer to my mark. Finally, I feel comfortable with the weapon. I collected my arrows and head off towards me and Gale's usual meeting spot.

When I get there, I see him and gasp. He is sitting on a boulder with his back towards me, his hair wet and dripping. His wet shirt is strewn across the rock beside him lying in the sun to dry.

When he hears my gasp he turns around to face me. I've never noticed before just how good looking Gale was. I knew every little thing that the girls at school whispered about him when he passed them in the halls. They all wanted him. As desired as Gale was, he never seemed to take interest in any of them.

Still, his half nakedness was making me a bit fidgety.

As I walk towards him, his eyes scan over me and then focus on my eyes. His grey ones are illuminated by the beam of sunlight that is passing through the clearing in the trees. He smiles at me, but his eyes are solemn.

"Katniss…" he says and beckons me over to sit beside him. His eyes are on me the whole time and I drop my gaze as I feel the blood pool into my face. I drop my bow and quiver of arrows on the rock and take a seat next to him. We sit close to each other; the warm skin of his arm pressing against mine.

"I missed you." he says

"I missed you too Gale." It was true; I had missed him so much.

"I was so worried." Gale says and his eyes are sad. "You have _no_ idea what I went through."

"Gale, let's not talk about this. I just got home and besides, I'm safe and here with you."

"When that District 2 girl caught you, I almost lost it. They way she was trying to cut you up into shreds… It made me SICK." His voice is getting angrier and angrier by the second. Suddenly, he gets up and whips around to face me, his body towering over mine.

"Do you have ANY idea how _scared_ I was?" he shouts. His expression changes from pain to anger.

I feel my body recoil back as he yells at me. I've never seen him this angry before. Gale was usually good at hiding his emotions and this anger scares me.

"I thought I was going to lose you." he says through gritted teeth. Grief strikes across his features.

I try lightening the mood with a joke, "I'm sure you would have found another hunting partner." I guess I'm not much of a comedian because Gale picks up a heavy rock and with a grunt, throws it into the stream next to us. It lands with a thump and a huge splash.

If I thought he was angry earlier, he was furious now.

"You think this is a joke?" he yells. "Do you think watching you starve and dehydrate to death was EASY for me? Do you understand how _hard _it was for me, knowing I couldn't do anything to help you?"

"Gale, you know that I'm just as good a hunter as you. I would have been totally fine and –." I argue, but he interrupts me.

"Is that all it comes down to? Hunting? Is that all?" he barks. "You didn't hear what those Careers were scheming. You didn't have to listen to their sick jokes and hundred different ways they were planning to kill you." His whole body is shaking violently now, so I get up and take his hands in an attempt to steady him. He closes his eyes and sucks in a deep, calming breath. When his eyes open again, they're wet with tears. He quickly swipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. I reclaim his hand; bring both of them up to my heart, then lean against his chest.

"Gale, I'm so sorry" I whisper. We stand there for a minute until Gale pulls back, away from me. His eyes bear into mine, searching. I don't know what he's looking for.

He speaks, breaking the silence. "Katniss, do you know what the hardest thing for me to watch was?"

"I don't know Gale. What?" I sigh.

He pauses and then softly murmurs, "The hardest part was watching you be with _him_." He looks down and waits for me to say something. I don't know what to say so we stand there in an awkward silence.

_Please, let's not talk about Peeta… _I think to myself.

Gale repeats his question from earlier, "Katniss, do you love him? Do you love Peeta? Because I'm sick of not knowing."

I seriously don't know if I did or not, so I tell him that. "Gale, I don't know. I'm so confused about what's happening between me and Peeta." I sigh.

"Tell me the truth Katniss! I watched every single one of those kisses between you and _him_." He's getting angry again and his hands are crushing mine.

"Ow! Gale, stop it!" I shout, pulling my hands out of his. He freezes, grimaces, and then takes a step back. "Why do you care?" I ask.

I swear his jaw nearly touches the floor.

"Katniss are you blind?" He asks, incredulous.

"No, I'm not."

"Do you _really _not see how much I care for you?"

"Of course I can, best friends are supposed to care about each other." I did see how much he cared about me. I just didn't know whether our friendship could be… more.

"Katniss, I love you." he says.

"I love you too Gale." I look at him, uncomprehending.

"Ugh," he sighs, exasperated. "Katniss. I'm IN love with you."

_Oh. _I continue to stare at him like an idiot. I shake my head, trying to understand this new revelation.

"Oh Gale… I don't know what to think. Every time I try to figure out what is happening between me and Peeta and me and you, my mind draws a blank."

"I can help you fill in the blank" he murmurs and the next thing I know I'm _kissing _Gale.

He pulls me into his sturdy arms and I place my hands on his chest. His soft lips crush down on mine in eagerness. After a minute, we break apart breathing heavily. Just as soon as our breath returns, Gale is once again pressing his lips to mine. I feel safe in his strong muscular arms and his lips are warm and inviting. I'd once imagined what it was like to kiss Gale, and to tell the truth, this was better than what I imagined.

But then guilt washes over me and I find myself breaking away from Gale. His lips try to find mine but I put a hand to his mouth to stop him.

"Gale, please stop. We can't—I can't do this. Not now, not here." I pant. "I need to go!" I shout, suddenly remembering that I have to go to the Mayor's with Peeta for supper.

"Can't you stay Catnip?" Gale asks.

"I really have to go." I say, turning around to leave. "I'll talk to you later."

Before I can run off, Gale catches my arm and pulls me back to him. He kisses me sweetly on the cheek."Okay, talk to you later." he says, grinning hugely.

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**Thank you so so so much for reading my story! Please review, it will absolutely make my day 10000000000000x more wonderful! :)  
It only takes maybe 45 seconds of your life to review! Constructive criticism is also appreciated! Tell me what I should do to make my story better. :)**


	3. Reunited Peeta's POV

**A/N: So, this is something that I wrote right after Ch. 1 of ****The Victors' Return. ****I forgot to post it before Ch.2, so here it is now! Hopefully, you enjoy it :)**

**And please, take the time to review! You know how they always make my day.  
**Return of the Victors-- Peeta's POV

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She takes my hand in hers and looks at me. I smile at her, but it doesn't mean much. It was all an act; an act planned out with Haymitch, an act executed in desperation. All that time in the arena, I really, truly believed that she might love me. I thought that I had finally got the girl of my dreams, but that's all that it really was; a dream. She never really felt anything towards me, it was just a way to try and keep us both safe in the arena. All that time we spent together, those kisses in the cave. It was all a lie.

I try not to show my pain, but it's useless. She can see right through the smile on my face. She can see the emptiness I feel because it's right there, plain in my eyes. I know she can see everything.

Everything in me yearns for her; for her touch, her smile… Right now, I am so aware of her small hand gripping mine so tightly. Even this little contact is enough to send a jolt of electricity through my veins. I shudder, trying to shake off this desire to be with her. I still wanted her, even though she had hurt me and left me broken.

"Let's go" I say to her.

She looks at me and gives a small nod.

When the train doors open, I can see a huge crowd held back by a fat, velvet rope. The platform is surrounded by cameras and huge speakers. Tons of flashbulbs go off and I feel Katniss lean into my body.

The cameras capture the smile on my face, but not the emotions that I really feel inside. I'm glad for that because right now I have to pretend to be the happiest person in Panem. I've just won the Hunger Games and I can go back with my 'love', the girl of my dreams; the Girl that was on Fire. Right now, I'm wishing that was true. I wish that we could just go home and live Happily Ever After. But no, this is reality; and in reality, Katniss doesn't love me.

I smile and wave to the crowd and they explode in shrill shrieks and cheering.

"_Welcome home Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, District 12 tributes and Hunger Games Champions!" _I hear over the crowd's applause.

From behind me I hear Haymitch telling me to put my arm around Katniss' waist.

_Great, _I think, _more torture for me. _But I follow his orders and lightly place my hand at the small of her waist.

Katniss shoots me an affectionate glance, and I feel my knees getting weak. I smile at her and give my head a shake. This girl really did not know the effect she had on me. When she looked at me like that, I couldn't ignore the lust that coursed through me, spreading like wildfire in my body. I just couldn't ignore it, even though I knew that it was all fake.

I examine the crowd, looking for my family. I see Gale staring at me in the midst of the mob of people. His eyes are saying 'You're not the one that belongs with her'. If looks could kill, I'd be dead on the ground already.

I look away to avoid his unforgiving glare. I avert my gaze to another part of the crowd and see my family—my mother, father and two older brothers—making their way to me.

"Okay, you can go greet your families now" Haymitch says from behind us.

Katniss gives me a swift peck on the cheek and rushes off to be with her family. I make my way slowly to my family, feeling the warmth on my cheek where Katniss' lips touched.

"Peeta!" My brother Luca jumps on me and starts tousling my hair. My other brother Gavin tackles me from behind and we all fall on the floor laughing.

"Boys, get up. You're going to soil your clothes." My mother barks. I guess she doesn't really give a damn that I'm alive.

She looks me over and says, "You've got that girl to thank for your life." She says, but it's not like I don't already know. She doesn't come over and hug me, all she does is stare. _Thank you so much mom, I'm glad to see you too,_ I mutter sarcastically to myself.

"I knew that girl would make it," she declares. "She's a fighter, that girl." What kind of a mother was she? Had she no hope at all that I would survive?

My father pulls me into his arms. He is hugging me so tightly that I can hardly breathe.

"Peeta, my boy! You're here alive and well," he puts his mouth to my ear and whispers, "and you even got the girl. Well done!"

"Yeah..." I say simply. My dad couldn't know the truth.

"Speaking of Katniss, we should go congratulate her." He says. "Plus, I've got to thank her."

"For what?" I ask.

"For keeping you alive son, for keeping you alive." He responds seriously.

When we reach Katniss, Gale is with her. I wonder how I will ever be able to compete for Katniss' affections when I'm up against someone like him.

When Gale sees me, he whispers something to Katniss and then turns around and starts pushing his way into the crowd. She spots me and the corners of her mouth turn up a little. Her smile is breathtaking but at the same time utterly heartbreaking.

"_Keep up the act Peeta. If you want to live—if you want _her_ to live—you'd better keep it up."_

Haymitch's voice echoes in my head. As much as it kills me to, I must keep up the act. If not, Katniss and I will both be put to death.

"Hey," I whisper to her, pulling her into my arms and kissing her lightly on the cheek, which is still slightly hollow looking from the Games.

"Oh, isn't that just _adorable!" _Gavin says mockingly and Katniss blushes. _Shut up,_ I want to tell him. I draw my foot back and give him a well deserved blow to the shin. "Awe, you know I'm just kidding Bro," he says, "I'm happy you made it home. Nice job man, getting the girl! She's cute, though I don't see how she'd ever fall for you!" _She didn't, _I think, glaring at my brother. For this comment I give him another kick in the shin.

"Ow!" he yelps, rubbing the spot where my foot hit him. "Thanks. Now I'm gonna have a bruise."

"Boys, stop it. Now." My witch of a mother shouts. She looks at Katniss and gives her a nod; this small gesture is more than she gave to me, her own son.

All the while, I stand behind Katniss with my arms around her small waist and my chin resting lightly on her head. Each part of me that touches her burns like a fire, yearning for more contact. My father comes up to Katniss and takes her hands.

"Thank you so much; for saving my son's life, for everything." He tells her, then stars tearing up. Not once in my life had I seen my father cry. I'm happy to know that at least one person in my family truly cares about me and is happy that I came out of the Hunger Games alive.

"Thank you too," Katniss says to my father "For watching out for Prim while I was gone."

"The little lady would have been fine anyways, selling all those cheeses and plants at the Hob" he laughs. He sobers up quickly and in a serious tone reassures Katniss that that Prim was well fed and taken care of. I sigh, pitying my father. I know that he is very fond of the Everdeen girls. They are, of course, 's daughters and my father, the poor man, is still plainly hung up on her.

_Maybe that's why my mother is such a witch_, I reflect.

Maybe when your husband talked non-stop about the woman he was hung up on you grew cold and callused with hurt and jealousy. My mother always favored my brothers; in her world Peeta always came third.

_Maybe that's why she hates you so much_; _because, aside from the hair, you're the spitting image of your father. _

I stand with Katniss in my arms as she and my dad talk. I'm mostly silent and I only speak when someone congratulates me on winning the Games. Only, I don't feel like a winner. I feel exactly the opposite.

Time passes and all I can think about is Katniss; the burning sensation on the skin that touches her; the desire that pulses through my veins with every beat of my broken heart.

I ask myself this question: _How is it that you can still love her so much, even after she's left you broken and bleeding?_

I do not know the answer.


	4. Always Watching

**A/N: Hey everybody! Here's another chapter, sorry it's a bit shorter, I am so so so busy this week! Hopefully, I'll be able to finish writing the next few parts soon. If I'm lucky enough to finish, you might see more as early as the weekend! Yay! So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games and all its characters (which, sadly, includes Peeta Mellark). I am merely a thirteen year old trying to continue the story :)**

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I'm making my way back to the fence when something stirs in a bush. I turn, but am unable to catch whatever—whoever—it was. I shoot at the shrub quickly with my bow and arrow, and the thing behind it makes a sizzling noise. I walk over to the bush and pull back a branch to see whatever I had shot.

It was a hover camera.

"_The Capitol will always be watching you" _I remember Haymitch telling me.

Shoot! Had it caught me and Gale's little scene back in the clearing?

I pick up the camera to take a closer look at it. There's a small red light bulb, but it is off; signaling that the camera hadn't been recording.

_Thank God._ I sigh with relief. If the Capitol saw that…

I make quick work of demolishing the rest of the camera with my foot, and then I throw the evidence into the stream.

When I get home, my mother is outside our house and is calling my name.

"Oh Katniss, there you are!" She says, exhaling loudly, "Where on earth have you been? You're going to be late; it's nearly six o'clock!

"Sorry! I was… taking a walk!" I exclaim. Hopefully, she's not able to tell that I'm lying.

"Well, for heaven's sake, let's get you inside and ready." she huffs.

_Good, she couldn't tell. _I give a mental sigh of relief.

"Cinna had a dress delivered for tonight, it came with a letter." She hands me the white envelope.

"Go take a bath and I'll do your hair"

I set the letter down on my bed and undress. I stick my foot in the tub to feel the water; it's lukewarm. I lower the rest of my body into the tub and start scrubbing off the dirt that stuck to me when I crawled under the fence.

As I lie there washing away the dirt, I begin to think of the kiss from Gale. He'd said he was _in_ _love _withme. There had never really been anything romantic going on between Gale and I. Then I remember that morning on the day of the Reaping. It was when he had suggested that we run away together. Did he want to run away and _be _together? Was that what he was implying? I had shrugged it off, thinking that he just meant that he wanted to be free of his responsibilities. Like me, he provided food for his family of five; his mother, his two younger brothers and little sister. I never thought that he might have meant for us to be together. I loved Gale, but was I _in_ love with him?

"Hurry up Katniss, you're going to be late!" my mother shouts from the living room. Her voice snaps me out of my deep-thinking.

I step out of the bath tub and quickly wrap a towel around my body. The bath water had long since gone cold, but it wasn't what had left that chill within me.

I slip into Cinna's beautiful dress. It is made from a black, velvety fabric that is smooth and soft to the touch. The dress fits tightly at the top then flares out into a sort of bubble, ending just below my knees.

_It's beautiful,_ I think.

The bottom of the skirt is covered in red, orange and yellow jewels, further emphasizing the 'Girl on Fire' idea. A thin red ribbon goes across my middle, accentuating my waistline and making it look tiny.

"Katniss, come here and I'll fix your hair." My mother calls.

I sit down in front of the only mirror in our house. My mother starts to braid; her practiced hands fashion my hair into the same style as the Reaping day. She picks up a small plastic package and opens it. Inside are a few strands of red ribbon.

"Cinna left me a note instructing me to put these into your hair."

I smile and remember what Cinna had once said about my mother's skillful braiding.

She pulls out a long piece of ribbon and gets to work. Her hands weave the ribbon into my dark hair, giving it the illusion that it's on fire.

As she is weaving, I spot a small, clear pouch sitting on the table and open it. Inside is an assortment of makeup. I pick up a tube of something and read the label.

"5X colossal volume. Lashes guaranteed to be longer, bolder and fiercer."

"Mascara," My mother explains. I dump out the rest of the contents of the bag and decide to try them on. I try applying eye shadow to my right eye, mimicking what Cinna and the stylists had done for the interview. When I finish I look in the mirror. I look like I was given a black eye.

"Oh Katniss!" My mom laughs. I haven't heard her laugh like this since way back when my father was still alive. Her soprano peals of laughter sound like wind chimes. "Let me do that for you," she giggles and begins to clean up the mess that I have made.

When she is finished, the limo arrives, parking in front of my house. It beeps twice out of impatience. I say thanks to my mother and turn to get into the car.

"Katniss, wait! You forgot this!" She runs to me and hands me the letter from Cinna.

"Thanks," I say, kissing her on the cheek, "I'll see you at the new house."

She smiles and opens the limo door for me. "Have fun." She says

The driver is already speeding away as my mother shuts the door. He drives further and further from my home and I watch as it becomes no more than a small dot in the distance.

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	5. For the cameras

5. For the cameras

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next part of the story. R&R but please don't forget the review part! It sucks when you have approximately 141 visitors but only 17 reviews! (Not that I'm ungrateful for the reviews I have) So come on, REVIEW! It will make me unbelievably happy! **

I remember the letter in my hands. On the back, my name is written along with the words 'Open in Private'. The limo is private enough, I guess. I rip off the golden sticker that seals the envelope and take out the letter inside.

_Dearest Katniss,_

_I hope you are doing fine. I am well; though there has been talk of rebellion among those who are not so faithful to the Capitol .Rumor is that they want you and Peeta to be their leaders for the rebellion. _

_I will be seeing you soon for the Districts tour. We will be able to talk then._

_Stay strong my Fire Girl,_

_Love always, Cinna._

I finish the letter and then read it twice over again. Me and Peeta as the leaders of a rebellion? By the time I'm done reading the third time, the limo has stopped. I look out the dark windows and see that we are not yet at the Mayor's. I turn to look out the opposite window and notice that we've stopped in front of the Bakery. Peeta comes walking out the front door and gets in the limo. When he sees me, he freezes for a second and then gets back to doing up his seatbelt.

"Hey Katniss," he says, "You look stunning."

"You don't look half bad yourself." I tell him. He's wearing an outfit that coordinates with mine; a black suit over a crimson shirt.

"Um, thanks." He mumbles.

We ride in silence the rest of the way to the Mayor's. Every so often Peeta looks up at me, but time I catch his glance. He looks down quickly and doesn't look at me again. He's still mad at me for hurting him; hell, I don't expect him to forgive me anytime soon. I know that what I'd done had been cruel, letting him believe that I returned his feelings, but could he not understand that I was trying to keep myself—both of us—alive?

"Peeta," I whisper, breaking the silence.

He looks up at me, his eyes questioning.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I am sorry for so many things, for lying to him in the Games, for hurting him with the truth and for all the pain that I will have caused him in the future.

"What does it matter? I understand." He says darkly. "You want to be with that Gale guy."

"No, Peeta you don't understand! I—"

"I get it Katniss, please, just drop it. I don't want to talk about this now." He looks at me, eyes pleading.

I just look at him, wishing that he would understand what I was going through.

"Let's go." He says, taking my hand in his and giving it a squeeze. He tells me to wait in the car. I sit there for a moment wondering why I have to wait as he leaves and walks around to my door. Peeta opens it, takes my hand and assists me in getting out of the car. He surprises my by taking my hand and touching it softly to his lips. I hear a chorus of "ahhhh's" and swooning from outside.

I look around and am astounded by the number of cameras that showed up just to watch me go into the Mayor's house.

I can almost hear Haymitch's voice in my head saying '_Give us a show Katniss_'. I grab Peeta's shoulders and look into his eyes.

He looks at me confused, "Um Katniss, I think we'd better—."

I press my lips to his, effectively silencing him from whatever he was saying. My lips move against his but he doesn't respond to me. He stands there frozen and when I realize this, I break away and give him a puzzled look.

"Let's go." He says. His voice is hard and cold bringing with it the hollowness from before.

His hand grips my wrist tightly as we climb the stairs to the front door. We step inside and a friendly doorman greets us. He reaches around me trying to take my coat, but Peeta pulls me into a door on the right of the hallway. The room we step into turns out to be a small bathroom.

"What the _hell _was that Katniss?" He says, letting go of my wrist. His teeth are gritted and he's struggling to keep his voice under control. "What was that?"

"What was _what_ Peeta?" I ask, massaging the spot where Peeta's hand had marked my arm. He paces back and forth shaking his head.

"How can you do that to me?" he demands angrily. His voice is cold and menacing. This is the first time I've ever seen Peeta angry. He had never been mad at me, even that time in the Games when Peeta, having woken up after I knocked him unconscious, found me lying on the cave floor in a very scary looking pool of blood. Even then, he wasn't mad.

"What are you talking about!?" I spit at him

"Why did you…you…kiss me Katniss? Why did you do it when you knew what it was doing to me?" He snaps. I look at him for a moment and his eyes meet mine. I look down quickly, not wanting to look at him any longer because his eyes reflect an ocean of pain.

"Peeta, it was for—" I try to explain but he quickly cuts me off.

"I know, I know. It was 'all for the act'. But you might have thought to do something less painful. Don't 'let's kiss Peeta to hurt him even more'." With that, he storms off. I hear the doorman ask him if everything is alright. He replies, with a fake happiness, that we had something private to take care of and that I would be out in a minute.

"Something private that maybe had to do with that kiss for the cameras?" the doorman asks, waggling his eyebrows.

"Maybe," laughs Peeta. This laugh is completely fake but only I am able to tell.

"Congratulations on getting the girl," The doorman says. "I saw you two in the Games and I really hoped that at least one of ya's would make it back."

"Thank you," Peeta says politely, shaking the older man's hand.

I choose this time to exit the bathroom and when I do the doorman smiles kindly at me.

"Straight down this hall and to your right," he says, pointing me in the direction of the dining room.

I take a deep breath upon entering because I don't know if I can bear sitting through dinner, knowing that Peeta must hate me.

When Effie sees me, she jumps up from her seat and pulls me into a huge hug.

"Katniss, you look gorgeous! Cinna really did a great job with the dress," she squeals with evident delight.

"He did," I say, agreeing with her. Cinna always found a way to make me feel beautiful. But he wasn't the only one that did…

"You look great too," I tell her. I see that her hair has gone from hot pink to candy blue and is styled in a ridiculous hairdo. Funny, I was almost used to the weird trends of the shining Capitol city.

"Oh, thank you! You see, I just decided to change my hair yesterday. I was reading the new issue of _Trend _Magazine and there was this article saying that hot pink was so last season! Of course, I did not want to commit a fashion faux pas so I had my hair re-done in cotton candy blue which, you should know, is all the rage now.

I take a seat, looking at the other faces around the table. Haymitch and the Mayor are smiling at me at each end of the table; Effie sits beside me smiling hugely and blabbering on about the newest Capitol trends. I risk a glance at Peeta; thankfully he is not looking at me. He doesn't look up, though I'm sure he senses my gaze. Madge is sitting beside Peeta and is currently busying herself with folding her paper napkin into a crane. When she is finished, she shows it to Peeta and he grins. She can definitely tell that there's something wrong with him.

The Mayor keeps both Peeta and I busy with questions about the Games, but our answers are short and sweet as per Haymitch's instructions.

All throughout the evening I can't help but steal glances towards Peeta. He doesn't return even one of my glances and keeps his eyes averted, avoiding me. He and Madge keep up with the small talk and for some reason it irritates the _hell_ out of me. It was almost like she was trying to flirt with _my_ Peeta.

_He's not yours. _The voice in my head corrects me. _You hurt him yet again. What do expect Katniss? One of these days, he will want to stop being hurt by you. _I work hard to suppress these thoughts because I know that they are all true. I don't want to listen to them. I don't want to be reminded again and again about how much I had hurt Peeta.

As much as I know that the voice is right, I can't help being bothered by the Mayor's daughter. A strong feeling of protectiveness suddenly appears within me and I want to tell Madge to stay away from Peeta. Why was I feeling like this? I wasn't in love with Peeta.

Or was I?

I go through the rest of dinner, speaking only when spoken to. I can't help but ask myself this question as I look at Peeta who mostly stares down at his empty plate: _What have I done?_

**Thanks for reading. Now it's time for step 2 of the R&R. Review, review, review!**

**--PeetaMellarkLove**


	6. Home, Sweet Home

**A/N: Woah! I got about 13 reviews for the last chapter! That's the most I've ever gotten! Now that I know you guys can give me 13 reviews in 2 days, I'll be hoping to get the same results! (If I'm lucky) haha. Thanks to **co1113, Dutchman02, blueboarderchick, laxgoal31, Fragile-Strength, MC, Dee :), deserteagle1, daydreamingxxx, babewithbrains88, Palistus, xCrystalNightx and to my reviewer who gave a review through PM (you know who you are!).

**Here's the next part!! R&R!**

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6. A house fit for a King… Or a Hunger Games Victor

When dinner ends, we thank the Mayor and a photographer takes a picture of the group. I put on my best smile because I'm supposed to look happy, even though I definitely am not.

As we step out the door, Peeta takes my hand, escorting me to the waiting limo. Being a true gentleman, he opens and holds the car door for me as I step in. He gently shuts it behind me and proceeds to walk around to the other side. He gets in, but doesn't say a word until we get to our new houses in the Victor's Village.

"See you later Katniss." He says when we're both out of the limo. Without another word, he turns in the opposite direction and walks up to the front door of his new home.

I try not to think about Peeta anymore and focus myself on checking out my new house.

As I reach the front porch, Prim bursts out the door.

"Katniss!" She yells, jumping into my arms.

"Hey there Prim," I smile, kissing her on the forehead. "How's the new house?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" is her response as she jumps excitedly up and down.

"I'm guessing that it's great?"

She hugs me real tight and says, "Katniss, it's magnificent! It's beautiful and wonderful and _everything_ I could have _ever_ dreamed of!"

"Oh, you're welcome," I say. I am truly happy now because Prim gets to grow up in this amazing place.

"Well, come on," she suddenly exclaims, taking my hand in her tiny one, "You've gotta check this place out!" She nearly yanks my arm off dragging me into the house.

The door opens and I gasp.

We have electricity, for one. The victors—or should I say _victor_ (a.k.a Haymitch)--actually got electricity for whenever they/he needed it, unlike in the Seam where it went more often than it came. In the Seam, really the only time that people got electricity was during the Hunger Games. The Games were mandatory to watch; if you didn't own a television, you had to watch it on the TV in town. It was even shown at the school, where the children were forced to watch the updates and recaps of the Games.

We had gleaming hardwood floors and furniture and a curved staircase leading to a _second floor_.

"Katniss, come see the kitchen!" Prim squeals, running off to the kitchen with me in tow.

I gasp again when I see it. We have one of those things that kept food cold… a refrigerator!

I open the fridge door, half expecting it to be empty. I take a peek inside only to see that it is stocked full with food. Fruits, vegetables, cheese, milk—they were all there. Prim would not starve for another day of her life.

"Oh my gosh! There's so much food here!" I say to her.

"I know! And that's not even all of it!" I look around to see more food. I now wonder how all the people in the Capitol stayed thin with all this food. In District 12, a round belly was a sign of being well off but in the Capitol, it was just a sign of laziness. I guess that when you had enough food, you didn't care about wasting because you knew there would always be more coming.

I look over to see what Prim is pointing to now. There's bread on the counter and it's not the rough, dense loaves that we used to make from our grain. It's the soft kind that you bought at the bakery. There were a few loaves, each a different kind. One was white, one was a light brown with seeds in it and another smelled like cinnamon and contained raisins.

On the granite island in the middle of the kitchen, there is a bowl of fruits. Prim grabs a small, fuzzy fruit—a peach—and takes a huge bite. The sweet smelling juice dribbles down her chin and I wipe it away with my thumb.

"Try it!" she says with a mouthful of peach, offering me the fruit. I had never had a peach before. I bite it, finding that I very much like the taste and even the funny skin. It feels odd but velvety on my tongue.

"Look over here!" Prim exclaims, bringing me to a wooden cabinet. She opens it and inside I find shelves full of sweets; cookies, biscuits, candies, chocolates. "It's AWESOME! Isn't it Katniss?" She giggles, squeezing my hands.

"It is Prim, this food would have lasted us almost a month in the Seam! And look here," I say picking up a note from the countertop and reading it out loud.

"_Food will be replenished every week, replacing whatever you take. If there is something that you would like but do not have, you can tell the delivery man and he will see that it gets delivered the next week. If you have questions, call or ask me._

_-- Haymitch" _

Oh joy, Haymitch was our neighbour now. We were set up so that the Mellarks were situated with Haymitch and my family on either side. There were houses beside mine, but of course they were vacant. Hopefully, they wouldn't be empty for much longer.

I shudder, remembering that Peeta and I would most likely train next year's tributes. Of course, that's still a year away, though I can't help but feel sick thinking about it.

"Katniss, you've got to check out upstairs!" Prim says to me, bringing me back to the present.

She takes my hand again, leading me upstairs. The floor on the second level is a plush carpet which feels amazing underneath my feet.

"Come look at my room!" Prim squeals, yanking me towards a door on the right of the corridor. "We each get our own rooms now! Isn't that awesome?"

She opens the door, revealing a big, pink room and I smile. There are large cherry blossoms painted on the wall behind the headboard of the bed. They looked so amazingly realistic; they must have been painted by professionals from the Capitol. On the opposite wall hung paintings of flowers and below them, there was a desk and a computer!

"Oh, Prim! It's beautiful!" I say, my eyes are brimming with tears. This was the _perfect _room for Prim. She should have been able to live like this, not grow up in the poverty of the Seam.

"I know!" she exclaims, "It's like they knew exactly what I would have wanted!"

It was true. This room was _very_ Prim.

"And look here Katniss!" she points outside the window. I walk over to look at what she's pointing at. Outside the window is a planter of flowers.

"They're Primrose flowers." She explains, though I already know.

I lean over to sniff them, taking in their luscious aroma. They're lovely, almost as lovely as the girl who was named after them.

"Wanna see your room now, Katniss?" Prim asks me eagerly, her eyes lighting up.

"Sure Prim," I tell her.

"You're going to LOVE it Katniss! I know you will!" She cries bouncing up and down happily.

She pulls me farther down the hallway to the last door.

"Go ahead and check it out! I wanna see it too!" says Prim.

"You mean you haven't seen it yet?" I ask her.

"No," she replies, "I wanted you to be the first one to see it. But I know that you'll love it!"

"How are you so sure I will?"

"Because Cinna left me a note saying 'enjoy the new rooms, Katniss and you will both love them'"

I open the door and take a look around. This room—_my _room—is amazing.

"Oh!" Prim sighs, "Katniss, it's amazing…" and it is. Three of the walls are painted a deep red. The last wall, the back wall, is completely made of glass. I can see over the tops of the trees of District 12's vast forest and I can see the peaks of the mountains that divide our district from District 11.

"Katniss look!" Prim says, beckoning me over to where she stands. She's looking at a blown up photo of me during the interview with Caesar Flickerman. It's a picture of me twirling around and around in Cinna's gorgeous jewel studded dress. I know that the girl in the picture is me, but she looked so happy. She was about to go into the Games, but the look on her face was pure joy.

I move my gaze over to the next picture on the wall. It's a picture of a beautiful boy: blonde hair that falls in waves over his forehead, depthless blue eyes that are shining with happiness. It's Peeta.

"I remember that." Prim says. "It was the interview right after the Games. You looked so shocked when Peeta showed you his new leg." She smiles at me.

The picture was taken after the Games; it was the first time we saw each other since we were picked up by the Hovercraft. Peeta looks as if he were on cloud nine; he is just radiating and glowing with delight. His smile is huge, his eyes piercing. The look on his face is triumphant. It should be because he has just won the ultimate prize: a life of luxury and the girl of his dreams.

Of course, that was before I confessed to him the truth. The glowing, exultant look in his eyes is now replaced by an empty and pained hollowness.

I try to hold back the tears that want to come out. They nearly manage to escape my eyes, but I hold them back.

"Prim I have to go," I say, walking towards the door. I check the clock; it's 8:00 pm.

"Katniss, where are you going? What's wrong?" she asks, expressing genuine concern.

I don't answer her because I'm running down the stairs. There's one thing I have to do. I have to talk to Peeta.

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**Okay guys, time for you to review! Reviews encourage me to keep writing! So leave me some love or CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (… no flames please)! Thank you for reading!**

**--PeetaMellarkLove**


	7. Behind These Eyes Peeta's POV

**A/N- Hey! thanks to everyone who reviewed last!! Reviews are so AWESOME! To everyone looking for the fluff--It's on its way! one more chapter to go before the fluff!**

**First of all, a HUGE thank-you goes out to laxgoal31, my new and absolutely lovely beta! Thanks! Check out her story- In Her Honor!**

**Here's Peeta's Point of View after dinner. ENJOY! R&R, but don't forget the review part!!! The song Behind These Hazel Eyes was the inspiration for this whole chapter! I recommend playing it while you read. :)**

**Disclaimer: sadly, I DO NOT own the Hunger Games. This amazing, wonderful book and all its characters belong to Suzanne Collins.  
Behind these Hazel Eyes belongs to Kelly Clarkson.**

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"Peeta! Are you unpacking? You'd better be." I hear my mother's annoying, nagging voice coming from downstairs. I don't bother telling her that I had finished unpacking before I went to dinner at Mayor Undersee's. Madge had been awfully kind, trying to cheer me up. For a second, I try to picture me and Madge together. For an instant I imagine us together, but the image of Madge quickly changes to one of Katniss.

I unbutton and peel off the crimson red dress shirt that Portia had sent me. I hang it up in my new closet and grab a white shirt to put on later. I also take off the black slacks and replace them with a comfy pair of jeans.

Stepping out of the closet, I quickly scan over my room in search of my ipod. It lies on the nightstand beside my bed. My ipod, an ancient looking ipod nano, was old and battered. I remember getting it as a Christmas present two years ago; it was the year that the Mayor bought cakes and desserts from us to serve at his party. Instead of choosing to special order desserts from the Capitol, Mayor Undersee chose to buy locally. With the surplus of money, my brothers and I got expensive presents: Me and Luca got Ipods and Gavin—beings mom's obvious favourite—got a brand new _laptop_.

_Well, now that you've got the money, you can buy whatever you'd like that you don't already have,_ I tell myself. I immediately regret the thought, feeling more than a little shameful. My room was fully furnished and filled with new technology. The Capitol had given me a new computer and laptop, and even a huge T.V. I feel a pang of guilt in my stomach. How could I stand myself if I bought lavish new things from the Capitol when there were so many people starving in the streets?

I shake off the thought and fall backwards onto my new bed. This bed was _amazing_; it felt as soft as a fluffy cloud. I prop myself up onto my elbows, taking a good look around the room. The walls are a smoky grey with a thin layer of silver paint, giving the walls a shiny tint. The wall behind my bed is blue, similar to the colour of my eyes but maybe three shades darker. Together, they create a cool, calm harmony. I take another look at the grey walls wondering if there was a reason behind the colour.

_They could have chosen any colour and they chose grey? _

And then it hits me. The walls are _exactly _the same colour as _her _eyes; smoky grey with flecks of almost-silver. Clever Portia, of course she'd want to integrate some reminder of Katniss into the room. I roll my body to face the far side of the room. There is another nightstand, and on this one I find a sole picture. It's a picture of Katniss at the first interview after the Hunger Games. She walks on a red carpet looking in my direction. I'm not in the shot, as the camera was shooting her head on. She is truly the definition of beauty, standing with poise and confidence on the carpet. Her dress is soft yellow giving her a look of innocence even though she just came out of the bloodiest and most cruel competition imaginable. She has on minimal makeup, letting her natural beauty shine through. Katniss looks joyful—as if she was truly happy to see me. Was she acting then too? Or was the look of happiness on her face genuine? There is no way to tell.

"Peeta! Are you—?" my mother yells, snapping me out of my thinking. I quickly jam the iPod's headphones into my ears, cutting off her nagging. _Ugh. Go away. _I sigh. If only she would shut up once in a while.

I flit quickly through the song list, looking for a song that fit my dreary mood. I find one I like, hit the play button and turn the volume all the way up. The intro starts and I close my eyes, trying to get away from the world, if not just for a moment…

_Seems like just yesterday__  
__You were a part of me__  
__I used to stand so tall__  
__I used to be so strong__  
__Your arms around me tight__  
__Everything, it felt so right__  
__Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong__  
__Now I can't breathe__  
__No, I can't sleep__  
__I'm barely hanging on_

_Here I am, once again__  
__I'm torn into pieces__  
__Can't deny it, can't pretend__  
__Just thought you were the one__  
__Broken up, deep inside__  
__But you won't get to see the tears I cry__  
__Behind these hazel eyes_

I feel my stomach clench and my eyelids flutter open. Images of Katniss fly relentlessly through my head and I feel the tears beginning to sting my eyes. Loving Katniss is like having a band-aid over a bad wound. You have to leave it alone for a while so that it can heal. However, if you rip it off too soon, the wound will start bleeding again.

I try so hard to about forget her, try so hard to move on, but I can't seem to make myself do it. It's not easy to forget about the one person whom your world basically revolves around. Every time I think of her, the band-aid rips off; re-opening the wound and making pain spread through me like the wildfire I felt every time I touched her.

Memories play over and over again in my mind and I feel myself breaking down. I lie on my bed remembering, facing upwards as I stare at the paper-white ceiling. I lay so very still, except for the light rise and fall of my chest. The memory of that very first kiss we shared in the cave currently plays in my head and I reminisce the feeling of her soft lips on mine.

_I told you everything__  
__Opened up and let you in__  
__You made me feel alright__  
__For once in my life__  
__Now all that's left of me__  
__Is what I pretend to be__  
__So together, but so broken up inside__  
__'Cause I can't breathe__  
__No, I can't sleep__  
__I'm barely hangin' on_

The song continues to play on and I feel the lyrics washing over me. It's like the song was written about me. Ever since I had learned the truth, I never felt complete. I felt like a part of me died and now, I was merely a shadow of my old self and all that I used to be.

I lie there, wishing a million things. I wish Katniss loved me. I wish we could be together and get married and live happily ever after. I sigh. If it hadn't been for that stupid Gale, we could have been together now. Sadly, Gale _is _here and I am hurting more than ever.

How can I still love her so much? I have every right to hate her, but I find myself unable to. I guess it is impossible to hate the only thing your heart desires.

I close my eyes, my heavy lids drooping shut, and I pray for sleep to consume me. I do not find my release though, because I see Katniss' angel face even from behind the lids. Her beautiful face, her smoky grey eyes, her heartbreaking smile haunt my mind. If I stay awake, I will think of her. If I fall asleep, I will surely dream of her. Either way, the Girl on Fire will always be on my mind.

_Swallow me then spit me out__  
__For hating you, I blame myself__  
__Seeing you it kills me now__  
__No, I don't cry on the outside__  
__Anymore...__Here I am, once again__  
__I'm torn into pieces__  
__Can't deny it, can't pretend__  
__Just thought you were the one__  
__Broken up, deep inside__  
__But you won't get to see the tears I cry__  
__Behind these hazel eyes_

Even if I somehow succeed in tricking my brain to believe that I will find another, I will never be able to stop loving her. And I know exactly why. It's because telling myself that I don't love her is telling myself a lie. It's like trying to make myself believe that the sky is green and the grass is blue when they're not. It was plain, simple and so very clear. My heart would always—no matter what—belong to Katniss.

_Here I am, once again__  
__I'm torn into pieces__  
__Can't deny it, can't pretend__  
__Just thought you were the one__  
__Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cry__  
__Behind these hazel eyes…_

_

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_

**A/N- Thanks for reading! Now please take the time to review! It lets me know that people are enjoying my hard work! And Do you like Peeta's POV? Should there be more? Leave me an answer in the review!!!**

Oh and the song used-- Behind these Hazel Eyes by Kelly Clarkson--does NOT belong to me. I am simply using the lyrics in the story!

**--PeetaMellarkLove 3**


	8. Shattered Hearts

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm just about to leave for a daytrip, so here's the next ch.**

**Thank you to laxgoal31, my AWESOME Beta. Check out her story In Her Honor.  
Please leave a review for me!**

6. Shattered Hearts.

I wipe the corners of my eyes carefully before knocking on the door. I hear someone coming to answer it, their footfalls sounding closer and closer. With each footstep, my stomach clenches sending a wave of nausea over me. When the door opens, I see that it's not Peeta, but his brother Luca. He's a year older than Peeta, but they look about the same age.

"Now look who we have here," he says while smiling at me. "I'm guessing that you're looking for my little brother?"

I swallow. "Yeah, that's who I'm looking for." After saying this, I attempt to plaster a smile onto my face.

"Well, he's in his room, you can go on up," he says, giving me a sly wink.

"Um, thanks," I mumble, blushing.

I make up my way up the stairs, my heartbeat becoming more erratic by the second. It hammers relentlessly in my chest, threatening to burst out of my ribcage.

_Calm down Katniss_! I try to tell myself, but my body seems to want to disobey me. I take a long, deep breath, trying to free the butterflies in my uneasy stomach.

_Ok here goes_, I think, taking one last calming breath to slow my mounting nervousness. It doesn't work though; my heart is so loud, I bet Peeta will be able to hear it. I am wondering what Peeta's doing in his room as I lift my hand and knock on the door. I hear a faint "Come in!" and I turn the knob.

_Oh my God. _"Hey, Peeta," I say, extremely embarrassed. I stare down at the floor, not looking up at him because he's lying on his bed in only a pair of jeans.

"Oh, hey," he says unabashed, looking around his bed and trying to find something to put on. He finds a plain white tee shirt on the floor. Peeta picks it up, fumbling as he tries to find the opening of the shirt. He manages to locate the bottom and quickly slips the cotton shirt over his head. "What are you doing here Katniss?" he asks.

"I came because we need to talk," I say quietly. Maybe talking to him would help me to sort out my feelings. My heart is frantic as I gingerly take a seat beside him on his bed. The thought of me and Peeta on a bed together makes me slightly tense...

_Focus Katniss, _the voice in my head warns me.

He narrows his eyes at me. "What is there to talk about? You're not in love with me, I get it. You want to be with Gale." The pain of his voice causes my stomach to twist even more than it is already.

"Peeta, when—" I begin, but he doesn't let me continue.

"Please, stop," he says. I don't listen to him. I have to get this out.

"No, Peeta," I snap, demanding for him to listen to me. I pause for a moment, trying to think of how to start. "Before the Games," I say, looking down at my hands. "I wasn't in love with anyone. But I found myself thinking of—missing—not only my family, but Gale too. I wondered if I was in love with him. I didn't know if I was because honestly, I hadn't really thought about him like that. When you lived like I did, romance wasn't exactly the number one priority."

Peeta raises his eyebrows in disbelief and then narrows his eyes at me again. "Go on…" he prods.

"So then, at the interview, you told everyone you loved me. I didn't believe it; I thought that you were in with Haymitch's plan."

"But I wasn't," Peeta says hollowly. I glance at him and find that he is looking at me. His brow is furrowed and anguish is painted on his face. I break away from his gaze, looking to his hands instead. They're balled up tightly into fists; the skin stretching over his knuckles is white.

"But I didn't know that. All throughout the Games, I thought you were just acting. Remember when I asked you…" I trail off, hesitantly. I take a deep breath and refocus. "I asked about you when you decided that you loved me?" I glance at him and he nods once, urging me on. "You told me that story about the first day of school and you remembered every detail: how my hair was in two braids instead of one, the red dress I wore…you remembered it all, and I began wondering if you weren't acting. But I couldn't make myself believe it.

"Then, when you found out I had been acting all along…" My eyes start to fill with hot, salty tears and I can't continue. I struggle to hide them and I attempt to blink them back. I slap myself mentally for crying so easily. Since when did I cry so much? I used to be good at fighting tears.

"You lied to me." Peeta says darkly. "Every smile was a lie. Every caress was a lie. Every kiss was a _lie_." His words are like knives stabbing into my heart. Everything he is saying is true, and each truth brings another knife. "Katniss, I thought that what we had in the arena was _real_. Nobody thought that they should clue me in on your little plan?" he asks.

"But Peeta, don't you see? That was the point! It wouldn't have seemed real if you had known," I retort.

"So it gave you the right to toy around with my heart? I'm a good actor you know," he says dryly. "When you told me the truth, I couldn't believe it. I thought that I had _finally_ gotten the girl of my dreams, as cliche as that sounds. But I was wrong. You're nothing but a liar. I should have never believed that you loved me. I knew it was too good to be true."

"Peeta, please. You don't know how sorry I am. I—"

"Save it Katniss," he says, cutting me off. "You're the only one I ever loved, ever since that very first day that I saw you."

"Then why didn't you ever come up and talk to me?" The pain in my heart is too much to handle. Angry tears flood my eyes once more.

"You would never talk to me. And you were always with your friend Gale anyways. I wish Gale never existed," he mumbles.

"Why do you care so much about Gale? I told you, we're only friends." I said these words, but were they true? Were we only friends after what had happened in the Hunger Games?

"You love him don't you?" He says this like a statement, as if it were actually true.

"I don't love Gale," I tell him, but again, I'm unsure of my words.

"Another lie," Peeta says. "Then who do you love Katniss?" He puts his hand under my chin and forces me to look him in the eyes. He lifts his other hand and gingerly wipes away my tears. This small contact makes chills run down my spine. "Tell me the truth, right now. Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not in love with him." His eyes bear into mine, searching for an answer. Unfortunately, I don't have one.

"Please tell me," he whispers and I can see the never-ending ocean of pain in his eyes.

"Peeta, I can't—" I say, the tears in my eyes threatening to spill over.

He drops his hands and gets up off the bed, walking towards the window. "Go Katniss. Leave," he says, his voice breaking on the last word. His back is turned to me, but I can imagine what his face looks like. Angry. Pained. Hurt. Broken. The pictures I imagine leave my heart shattered. I want to go up to him and wipe away all his tears, just as he did with mine. But I can't.

He turns to me and tears are streaming down his cheek, leaving little wet trails. "Please, just go," he whispers.

"Peeta, I—"

"Go Katniss. Now," he says softly, anger mixing with the pain in his voice. Somehow, him saying it softly hurts me more than him yelling at me would. Another knife stabs at my heart; slicing it, torturing me.

Just like that, I lose the battle against the tears pooling in my eyes. They win; the dam that held them back bursts. I slowly turn around and walk out of the room.

_Now you've done it, Katniss_, I think to myself as I make my way down the stairs. Peeta's door slams hard and I take off sprinting to my house, not stopping until I'm inside.

I slam the front door violently; the vibrations nearly causing the vase standing against the wall to tip over. My mother, who sits on the couch, looks up from the book she's reading. "Katniss? Katniss, what's wrong?" She quickly gets up and extends her arm toward me.

"Leave me alone," I say coldly. I know I am being harsh, but I refuse to talk to anyone right now.

"Okay, Katniss…" my mother says dejectedly, drawing back her outreached hand.

I run up the stairs and into my bathroom, the tears flowing freely. I kick my feet out of the uncomfortable shoes I'm wearing. I think of Peeta and how hurt he must feel. In a sudden flash of anger, I throw both shoes at the wall opposite of me. After locking the door, I slump down onto the ground, wrapping my arms around my shaking, shivering body and burying my head into my knees.

_Why am I crying so much? _I ask myself. My heart feels so torn.

"Katniss? Katniss, what's wrong?" I hear Prim wailing on the other side of the door. "Open the door!"

"No, Prim. Please, just leave me alone! I don't want to talk." The words that come out are nearly incoherent. I don't want to talk to anybody.

But Prim is persistent. "Katniss, I can help you. Please just let me in!" she begs, her fist banging on the door.

"GO AWAY!" I half shriek.

I try to stop the salt water from pooling in my eyes, but I don't succeed. Stupid tears. They drip down my face, into my mouth, onto my shirt. No matter how many times I try to wipe them away, they just won't stop.

Finally the banging on the door stops. Prim has given up at last. "Fine, Katniss. I'll be in my room. Please, please, _please_ come out soon," she says.

When I'm sure that Prim has left, I get up off the floor. The tears have not slowed down any and I feel like a broken fountain. I walk over to the mirror to see how much of a disaster my face has become. I gasp when I see the girl in the mirror. Her eyes are swollen from crying, her whole face is red, her nose runny. The makeup that my mom helped me with earlier this evening has ended up all over my face. I need to clean up. Badly.

I am still wearing Cinna's beautiful dress from earlier, but right now I feel filthy and ugly. I peel it off and lay it on the granite counter top. I turn on the shower letting the water warm up. This new Capitol shower only takes 30 seconds for the hot water to get going, so I step into it almost right away. This shower is similar to the one that was in the Tribute's building and I quickly get the hang of all the buttons. I press one that makes water shoot out at me from three of the walls. I feel the jets coming from all around me enveloping me in the hot torrent of water. It feels good; it both relaxes my tense muscles and helps drive away the icy chill in my body.

My last image of Peeta pops into my head as I stand in the middle of the shower. His face was so hurt, so broken. Strong, sweet, loving Peeta was driven to tears because of me. I want to see him, wipe away the tears I have caused him, and wipe the broken expression off his face. But I can't. Peeta might never forgive me. He suffers now and so do I. The image of his face, so broken down and defeated haunts me, sending a wave of desolation through my entire body. I have caused him this pain and it is now mine too. The Boy with the Bread was truly slipping away from me.

I try to resist crying again, but my eyes betray me with fresh new tears. I can no longer tell the difference between the tears and the hot shower water that drips from my face. My tears mingle with them and they all fall, going down the drain, just like my hopes of reconciliation with Peeta.

I remember the time we spent together in that cave and my mind shifts back to those moments that we spent alone in each other's arms. I reminisce the feeling of his fevered lips on mine; his protective arms circling around me; his hand stroking my hair, giving me reassurance and soothing me to sleep.

I remember all these sweet things and I find myself missing him. I mean, I know that he is here and I just saw him less than fifteen minutes ago, but I yearn for the warmth of his touch, and the safe feeling of his arms. I want the real Peeta back, not the empty, zombie-like person that replaced him.

_Why does this hurt so badly?_

And then I realize the answer.

I think I'm in love with him.

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**A/N- Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review!!! Tell me what you think!**

**No flames please!**


	9. Making Up

**A/N: Hey everyone! I am so sorry that it took a week to update, but I've been crazy busy this week. Holy cow. But hopefully the next update will come sooner.**

**Please take the time to review. It's nice to know when someone appreciates or would like to give my work some constructive criticism!**

**Anyhow, here's the next chapter!!**

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Making up

When the tears finally cease, I step out of the shower, towel off, and then pull on a thick, white bathrobe. I make my way over to the door that leads to the walk-in closet. I didn't have the chance earlier to really take a good look inside, so I decide to do so now. I turn the doorknob and step slowly into the closet.

_Oh my. _My eyes widen as I take in the size and volume of my closet. It's absolutely huge and chock-full of clothing, shoes and lavish accessories. There is a three-paneled mirror on the right hand side and beside it, a few shelves of shoes. For a minute, I stand there gaping at the size of this room—which is nearly half the size of the bedroom—and then I get to the task of locating some sleep-wear. After a two minute search of the closet, I manage to get my hands on a tank top and flannel shorts. I quickly pull on the clothing, eager to get some sleep after this long day. Yawning profusely, I hang up the bathrobe, shut off the closet lights and go out through the door that leads to my bedroom.

I step into my room and it's completely dark. I feel a breeze blowing against the skin of my bare legs, raising goose bumps all over me. I look around and realize that the cool air is coming from the window beside my bed. I think back, trying to recall whether I had opened it earlier, but all I can think about is the fight I had with Peeta.

_Prim must have opened it, _I decide. She probably just came in to let in some fresh air while I was in the shower.

I look up and I see someone standing at the glass wall. I immediately grab the solid item nearest to me—which, turns out, is my alarm clock—and prepare to defend myself. The person hastily makes their way to where I am standing.

_They must have snuck in through the window! _I think to myself, putting two and two together,

"Get away from me," I try to yell harshly, but it only comes out as a soft whisper. I brace myself and raise the alarm clock in my hand.

I step back slowly until I feel the wall pressing against my back. Fear courses through my body and I feel my breath coming out in shallow little pants. I draw my arm back, preparing to throw the object in my hands when the person speaks.

"Katniss, calm down!" The person flips the light switch of the standing lamp next to them, illuminating the mysterious face in the shadows. I give a breath of relief as the light reveals the identity of the stranger.

"Would you please put that down? I promise I'm not going to hurt you," Peeta says with his hands raised in the air.

"Peeta, what are you doing here?" I whisper, setting down the clock. It's late, and I definitely do not want Prim to wake up right now. I take a seat on the bed and tap the spot beside me, signaling Peeta to sit.

"Katniss," he says, coming over to take a seat next to me. "I just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for being such a jerk earlier." He takes a deep breath and cups his hand lightly over mine.

Peeta slowly lifts his head to meet my gaze. His eyes search mine, looking for any reaction.

"I guess what I'm trying to get to, is that I forgive you for…everything. If you want to be with Gale, then—"

"I've figured it out Peeta," I say, interrupting him. "Gale isn't the one I love." Peeta freezes and stares at me, eyes narrowed in confusion. I lift my hands up, cupping his face with them and slowly, hesitantly, bring my lips to his. Almost immediately, his hands are on my shoulders, gently pushing me back.

"Katniss…" Peeta begins warningly. His voice is blank, the expression on his face unreadable, but there's a flicker of hope in his eyes. My stomach drops. He doesn't trust me.

"Peeta, I love you," I say simply because there's just no other way to say it.

_Please believe me! _I think to myself. I want him to believe me. I _need _him to believe me. I stare at him for a moment, trying to convey this silent plead to him through my eyes. I feel a pang of fear and pain at the thought of him rejecting me.

He inhales suddenly, as if forgetting to breathe. "Are you sure?" he asks.

I bring my lips to his again, but this time he doesn't push me away. His body is rigid, in shock, as my lips move against his and my arms wrap themselves around his neck. I break away from the kiss, panting lightly. I refrain from looking at his face, for worry that it might all be too late. Maybe the damage that had been done was way beyond repair. My lips trace along his jaw and to his ear and I whisper to him, "I'm sure."

He pulls back as far as he can go because my arms are still locked around his neck like a constricting snake. He takes my head in both of his big hands and positions me so that I am looking straight into his intense, ocean blue eyes. They have changed so drastically since only a minute ago. What used to be hollow and dull is now replaced by radiance and life. His eyes glow a brilliant blue, burning like the hottest fires. They are now focused on me with such intensity that I feel him staring right at my soul.

"Katniss," he says, eyes blazing. "If you are sure about this—about me—then I'll always belong to you. I love you. Forever."

This time, it's Peeta who initiates the kiss. Suddenly, his hands are everywhere. They travel all along my body starting at my shoulders, trailing down my arms, stopping on my lower back. Meanwhile, my arms snake around his neck and my hands tangle themselves into his silky blonde hair. Our lips are pressed hard together as if this was the only chance we'd ever have.

_I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm so sorry Peeta._ I think, putting every apology, every little thing I have into this kiss. I want him to know—to feel—how sorry I am. I want him to believe me.

His soft lips move in synchronization with mine and I feel my body slowly lowering backwards onto my plushy bed. Positioned on either side of me are Peeta's hard, sinewy arms. He has me imprisoned between them, but it's okay because I don't want to be anywhere but here in this moment. Lust courses through my veins and all I can see is Peeta. All I can feel is Peeta; the skin he touched burns like an out of control wildfire. All I need, all I want is right here.

He hovers right above me with his body pressed lightly against mine, but with such little weight that I can barely feel it. It seems that this contact is not nearly enough because my hands untangle themselves from his hair and travel down to his mid-back. I hug myself to him harder, not wanting to ever let him go. Though his thin shirt I can feel his heart pounding erratically, matching the beating of my own heart. I want to stay like this forever. Unfortunately, there is a sharp pain in my lungs and I am forced to draw back from Peeta.

He rolls over to the side, breathing heavily. That last kiss left both of us breathless and me wanting more. I wonder what he is thinking. Did he want more?

In the darkness, I see him stretch his arms out towards me. I scoot over to rest my head against his inviting chest and he wraps his arms around me firmly. I lie there for a moment, trying to catch my breath.

"Oh Peeta," I sigh, snuggling my face closer into the fabric of his shirt.

Peeta's response surprises me because I look up at him and he's laughing. My brow furrows and he laughs even more.

"Would you like to tell me why you're laughing at me?" I ask, playfully pushing away from him.

He answers and tightens his hold around me. Using one hand, Peeta gently smoothes out the worry line on my face. "I'm not laughing at _you_, I'm laughing because I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me this has all been another one of my fantasies," he confesses.

_Oh. _I turn my face into his palm which still rests on my cheek. I'm thankful that it's dark because my cheeks are flaming red.

"You dream about me?" I ask him sheepishly.

"Yes," he admits almost proudly.

"And what would I be doing in your dreams?"

"Something along the lines of this," he murmers before proceeding to kiss me. This kiss is much slower and sweeter. His lips are gentle as he uses one hand to hold the back of my head. The other draws slow, small circles on my back. This sends a small tingling sensation through me and I feel myself shiver. Peeta breaks the kiss and starts to get up.

"Peeta! Wait, where are you going?" I whisper, worriedly.

"Nowhere… Stand up for a second," he instructs me. I get up, wondering why.

Peeta pulls back the covers and climbs back into the bed. "You looked cold," he explains. I quickly get back underneath the duvet and move back into Peeta's arms. I lift my hand to his head and start brushing it with my fingertips. "I love you," I whisper, moving my hand to caress his cheek.

"Katniss," Peeta says, "I've loved you since the first day I met you. I know this will sound really sick, but I'm glad that we both got picked for the Games. You know? Like _this _never would have happened if we hadn't been picked," he says, gesturing to me in his arms.

"You know what I think?" he asks me.

"What?"

"As cliché as this sounds, I think we were meant to be together."

"You're right," I laugh. "That was pretty cliché." But maybe he was right. Maybe it was our destiny to be in the Games and end up together. All of a sudden, I am overcome by a wave of sleepiness and I yawn.

"You'd better get some sleep; we leave for the Districts Tour tomorrow afternoon." Right, I'd forgotten all about it. Tomorrow we'd be heading off to the Capitol to mark the beginning of the tour.

"Sleep, Katniss. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Peeta says, unwinding his arms from around me and starting to get up.

"No!" I practically yell. Then I remember that it is late and Prim is sleeping. I lower my voice back down to a whisper. "Peeta, stay." he glances at me, unsure. "Please?" I whisper, pouting.

When he sees my face he laughs but gets back into the bed with me. "Fine," I hear him whispering. I rest my head against his chest once more and shut my eyes. "But seriously Katniss, go to sleep now. I promise you, I'll be right here."

"M'kay," I yawn.

I feel Peeta's hand gently stroking my hair as he did that one time in the cave. I feel myself relax in the circle of Peeta's arms.

To my surprise, Peeta starts to sing. I've never heard him sing before and I listen in wonder to his soft and lovely voice.

_A drop in the ocean, _

_A change in the weather,_

_I was praying that you and me might end up together,_

My eyes begin to droop shut and I start to drift into unconsciousness. I still hear his voice, though it's more like music in the background now.

_It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert,_

_But I'm holding you closer than most,_

'_cause you are my heaven._

Sleep claims me, but the song continues on in my dreams.

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I awake to the sound of sharp thunder outside. A heavy downpour of rain pelts the far wall of the room. It was after all the rainy season, so this kind of weather was to be expected. My father used to know exactly when a bad storm was coming. My mind wanders back to a day when we were out hunting in the woods.

"_Do you see that Katniss?" my father asked, pointing to a small squirrel on the ground. _

_I noded, waiting for him to continue._

"_Do you see how its ears are perked up and how it looks twitchy? Now tell me Katniss, what do you hear?" _

_I closed my eyes and listened for the usual chorus of birds chirping. Strangely, I heard nothing but the sound of the flowing stream and the wind in the trees. _

"_Where have all the birdies gone, Daddy?" I asked. _

"_When the animals are frisky and the birds have gone silent, you can tell it is going to rain," he explained to me in a soft voice._

_I tilted my head up to the sky. The weather was beautiful; the sky was a clear, cloudless blue and the sun shown brightly. _

_My dad spoted the look of confusion on my face and laughed, putting his arm around my shoulder._

"_How about we make a bet? If it doesn't rain, you have to give me that bow," I said pointing to the bow in his knapsack. _

"_Deal," he said, taking my hand and shaking on it._

I lost the bet, but the next morning, I found a newly made miniature bow sitting on the table next to me and Prim's bed.

This memory of my father tugs at my heart. I miss him so much. Sighing, I shift my attention back to the present. Peeta's arms are still draped around me, but the boy with the bread is laying deeply asleep beside me. I turn in his arms and take a look at the clock that I nearly hit him with last night. The blue numbers read 7:30am. I sigh, knowing that I will have to wake Peeta soon so that he can go home. I'm sure his mother wouldn't like to find her son asleep in his girlfriend's bed. And I'm hesitant to wake him; he looks so peaceful, with his head on my pillow and lightly snoring. But Peeta has to get home.

I lift my hand and gently stroke his golden-wheat hair. I bring my lips to his cheeks, his eyes, his nose and his mouth, peppering his face with light as air kisses. "Peeta," I whisper between each kiss. His eyes flutter open and a smile spreads across his face. He pulls me in for a kiss, touching his lips to mine with delicately.

Suddenly, I hear a click as the doorknob turns and the door opens suddenly.

Surprised, I jump back away from Peeta. I crane my neck around to see who is standing in the doorway. My eyes widen in horror as I make out who stands there. Of all people it had to be him.

"Katniss! Your mother sent me up—" the voice says. My stomach does backflips in shock and surprise.

_Shit, _I curse inwardly.

There, standing in the doorway, is the one person I definitely do not want to see right now.

Gale.

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**A/N: Hey thanks for reading the chapter! :) Please leave me a review—anonymous or signed, doesn't matter—and tell me what you think! **


	10. Interrupted

**A/N: Hey, it's me again! Sorry this update took a little longer than I expected, but it's here now! I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Things I forgot to mention last time: A HUGE thank you to my superb beta laxgoal31 who is a big help to me! Also, I promised the fluff in the last chapter would be dedicated to Fragile-Strength! **

**Things for this chapter: Special mention goes out to Palistus who reviews nearly every chapter faithfully and has stuck to the story from the beginning! Thanks to The Dramatic Sneeze who reviewed every chapter, so like 8 reviews in a row. Finally, another huge thank-you to laxgoal31!-- You're the best! Check out her stories, they're absolutely amazing!**

**Anyways, here's the next part in the story! R&R!****Gale POV**

**EDIT: I totally forgot to write Katniss POV before the switch! Originally, I wrote Katniss's part before Gale's and wrote 'Gale POV' to separate the POVs. I copy and pasted Gale's POV so that it would come before Katniss's and forgot to show the switiching of POVs! Thanks Woot woot and laxgoal31 for pointing it out!! sorry for the confusion! 05/29/09**

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I wake up early this morning, willing myself to get out of bed and get ready to go out hunting. Today is Saturday, which means that it's also hunting day. Katniss and I usually went out hunting together on Saturday mornings, getting both foods to feed the family and to trade at the Hob. I guess Katniss would never have the need to hunt again. The Hunger Games winners had plenty of food delivered to them. But she would still come with me sometimes, right?

I remember the hunting trips before I met Katniss. I was barely getting enough to feed my family of five. After I met Catnip, the amount of food got better. There was more to go around and suddenly, we weren't just barely getting by; the complaints of half empty stomachs lessened and we were doing the best since Dad's death.

I sigh, thinking of Katniss and feel a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Katniss.

She's safe. She's _alive_.

I close my eyes for a second and remember what happened yesterday. I finally did it; I told Katniss that I loved her. And we _kissed_. I shudder and my pulse begins to quicken at the memory. She was caught off guard; I don't think she realized just how much I loved her. I exhale happily at the thought that she might just love me too.

But then again, there's Peeta. Stupid Baker's son, thinking that Katniss will just fall in love with him. Well, I know her like the back of my hand. She's not like that.

Katniss told me yesterday in the forest that she didn't love Peeta. As she'd said it, I saw something flash in her eyes. Perhaps it was uncertainty. Maybe she did love Peeta Mellark. I mean I was watching the Games on TV and let's just say that I didn't like what I saw. Suddenly I am filled with a feeling of hatred towards the Baker's son.

_He should have at least tried one of those Nightlock berries. I hear they taste great,_ I mutter to myself.

I open my eyes again and remember the current task at hand. It's time to bring home something to fill all those clamoring stomachs. Mother will be awake by the time I'm done and she'll prepare a breakfast for everyone.

My brother and sisters sleep in the beds next to mine; the two little girls, Zara and Aria, share the bed beside mine while my brother Jace takes the small bed beside the door. I pull on an old pair of jeans and manage to slip out of the room quietly, despite the creaky floorboards. Thankfully, nobody is woken up. The kids need their sleep; it's only 5:30am. On my way out, I grab my black, waterproof jacket and the thick brown, belt that holds my knives. I slip the leather belt through the belt loops on my jeans, secure it tightly and then slip on the coal black jacket because it's raining lightly outside.

I make my way to the fence which is a fifteen minute walk from my house. Rain drizzles down lightly from the grey sky, falling all around me. I look up to see that a thick mass of dark grey clouds is slowly approaching District 12. It's still pretty far from us now, so I still have at least two hours to hunt.

As I get nearer to the fence, I pass Katniss' old house. Some family living on the streets has probably moved in already. Somehow, it saddens me to know that Katniss isn't living there anymore. I think of Katniss and wonder. What is she doing right now? Is she thinking of me at all?

_Well, now that she has no need to hunt, she's probably going to sleep the day away. _I think, answering my own questions. I chuckle lightly at the thought of Katniss sleeping all day. On our hunting days before the Hunger Games, I would usually have to go to her house to wake her up. If I didn't, she probably would sleep all day.

As to my second question, I do not know the answer. I keep telling myself that things will work out, but somehow the feeling of uncertainty rests in the pit of my stomach. I shake off the thoughts and get down on my stomach to crawl under the fence that now stands in front of me.

I walk over to the hollowed tree where the hunting tools are kept. Katniss' bow and arrows are there next to mine and there's also a couple coils of rope and wire for snares. I grab a couple lengths of rope, my bow and arrow, and the small leather knapsack so that I can carry around anything I hunt or gather today.

I start to head deeper into the forest, setting up some twitch-up snares every now and then. Usually, Katniss and I would start with some snares, try hunting with the arrows, and then move on to fishing in the stream. When I finish with the snares, I climb up a tree and position myself so that I am sitting on a low branch. Time passes slowly as I wait for something to scamper past me. The air is cold and the forest is quiet except for a few birds singing in their trees.

This is the first time for years that I've hunted all alone. Without Katniss' presence, time seems to drag on and on. We generally remained silent when we hunted in the trees like this, not wanting to scare away any potential food, but it still felt good to know she was there. Right now I feel her absence as if I were missing the air in my lungs. I miss my hunting partner. I wonder if she misses me too.

My head snaps to attention when I hear a rustling of leaves and scampering on the forest floor. There they are. Two fat squirrels chase each other around in circles, unaware that they're about to become dinner. I draw back the string of the bow; arrow loaded, and then let it fly. The arrow slices through the air, skewering the first squirrel in the temple. My arrow nearly hits the second as it passes through the first. But no, the second squirrel will not get away. Quick as lightning, I reload the bow and shoot again; it's a direct hit. I jump down from the branch to collect my kills. I pick up the two dead squirrels, bodies hanging from the shafts of the arrows.

_Katniss would've had a much cleaner shot._ I think to myself as I examine the punctures. If it were Katniss shooting, the arrow would have gone cleanly; right through the eye.

I shrug and stick the two used arrows into a plastic bag and then into my knapsack. I have enough sense to not pull out the arrows, knowing that if I did, they would bleed all over the sack.

I decide to move on to fishing. It takes about ten minutes to get to the stream and I feel all the more lonely without Katniss to talk to. When I get there, I grab a fishing pole out of the hollow log where the fishing supplies are kept. I bait the hook and stick it into the ground while I gather some greens and berries.

Five minutes into gathering and I'm already bored. I miss my hunting partner.

* * *

By the end of my hunting trip, I've managed to get two fat squirrels, half a dozen fish, a gallon of strawberries and bag of greens. On the way home, I stop by Greasy Sae's to sell one of the squirrels and two of my fish.

"Not your best shot, Gale, but once it's in the soup, what difference will it make?" she asks, giving me a sly wink. I shudder to think about what's actually in the soup, but continue to Mayor Undersees' to sell the berries.

Before I can even get a hand on the heavy brass knocker, the door swings open. Behind it is a flustered- looking, smiling Madge. When Katniss was…away… Madge started talking to me. She was actually a pretty nice girl and she had expressed a genuine concern for Katniss. Other girls used Katniss' absence as an excuse to talk to me. Ugh. It was disgusting.

"Hey Gale," she says to me brightly.

"Madge," I nod in acknowledgement.

"What's up?"

I respond to her by holding out the burlap sack full of strawberries. She raises her eyebrows and smiles at me. Madge would never say no to a good gallon of strawberries.

"Hold on, I'll go get the money," she says, turning back into the house.

I hand her the sack of berries when she comes back and in return she drops some coins into my hand.

"Thanks Madge," I say giving her a smile.

She blushes pink and thanks me too before softly shutting the door. I hop down the short flight of stairs and decide to drop off my things at the house. When I arrive, mother and the kids are awake. I push open the front door and with a flying leap, Aria tackles me, causing me to become unbalanced.

"Gale, Gale, Gale!" she shouts. Her dark curls bounce with her as she jumps excitedly up and down. "Look what Momma made me!" she says, shoving a hand-made doll in my face. I smile, glad at how happy a simple doll could make a four year-old.

"That's great Aria," I say, giving her my best smile.

I pull out the one squirrel, four fish and bag of greens and set them down on the table.

"Is that all for us Gale?" Aria asks.

"Yup, it is," I nod at her.

"Yay! Because I'm really hungry Galey," she says, using her nickname for me and rubbing her stomach.

I wince. I wish that I could give them enough food so that they could eat whenever they were hungry. My mother sees this and comes up to me. She wraps her arms around me and reaches up on the tips of her toes to whisper in my ear.

"It's okay Gale. You do so much already," she says, kissing my cheek.

I shrug and tell her that I'm going to Katniss' place. She smiles and gives me a knowing look. I don't know how, but she has always known—about me and Katniss, that is. I guess it was a mom thing.

Anyways, I head out the door, pulling up the hood of my jacket. The clouds that I had seen earlier have made their way above District 12. It's raining moderately as I walk to Katniss' house. The nearer I get to the Victors' Village, the faster my heart beat gets. By the time I reach her house, my heart is going a mile a minute and my chest swells with joy.

I ring the doorbell of her house and wait. I take a huge breath as my foot taps impatiently on the doorstep.

"Gale!" It's Prim who answers the door. She jumps up into my arms and I hug her tightly. "Come in!" she exclaims brightly.

She takes my hand, ushering me inside the house.

_Holy crap. _My eyes are as wide as saucers as I take in the mansion's interior. Polished hardwood floors, painted walls, expensive furniture… they had it all. Now this was luxury.

_Now I know where I will be spending most of my time, _I joke to myself.

"Gale! Come in, come in!" Mrs. Everdeen shouts from somewhere in the kitchen. I walk towards the direction of her voice and a delicious scent hits me smack in the face. My stomach makes an audible grumbling noise and smile sheepishly.

"Are you hungry Gale?" Mrs. Everdeen asks. She's standing in front of the stove preparing these golden brown batter cakes.

I ignore the desperate rumbling in my stomach and tell her, "Actually, I'm looking for Katniss."

"Okay then. Well, she's sleeping right now. Could you go upstairs and tell her to come down and eat?"

"Sure," I smile.

"Thanks, it's the farthest room at the end of the hallway."

I have to force myself to walk to her room instead of running. I make my way up the stairs, and for some reason I am feeling slightly nervous. As I was told, I go to the door at the end of the hallway. I turn the knob and with a click, the door opens.

"Katniss! Your mother sent me up—" I start, but then I look at her in bed. She's not alone. My eyes dart from her to the figure lying beside her. Katniss stares at me with her mouth hanging open as I realize who is in the bed. It's none other than Peeta Mellark himself. At first I'm shocked and confused. Peeta, in bed…sleeping… with Katniss?

And then realization hits me.

_Fucking bastard, _is my next thought and I feel white hot anger building up inside of me. I feel my hand twitch toward the knife still hanging in my belt. I want so much to pull it out and kill that stupid Dough Boy, but I can't. I can't do anything. I can't think, I can't breathe, I can't move; my body stays utterly frozen on the spot.

I see Katniss throw the duvet off of her and make her way to me. "Gale," she whispers.

"No," I manage to pant out. _No, no, no. This can't be happening. _

"Gale, please," she says desperately. _Please, what? Gale, please understand? Is that what you want? What happened to yesterday in the forest? Did that mean NOTHING to you? _I want to shout these questions at her, but I am unable to. My vocal chords feel paralyzed.

Katniss reaches her arm out to me and touches my arm in what's probably meant to be a comforting gesture. When her hand comes into contact with my arm, my body unfreezes and I jump back, away from her.

"Katniss…" I trail off. I feel a pang of sadness in my heart. I try to convey my question with my eyes. _Why? _I feel my eyes beginning to prickle. No. I will not cry. I shake my head vigorously and turn away from Katniss.

My mother always told me never to play with fire because you only end up being burned. I guess she was right.

Before Katniss can catch me, I am sprinting down the stairs; away from the only reason that I kept on living.

"Gale? Gale!" Prim cries once she sees me sprinting down the stairs and out the door. I ignore her and keep running. It's pouring now; fat water droplets fall around me and splatter when they hit the pavement.

"Gale! Gale!" This time, it's Katniss calling my name. I could recognize her sweet voice in the middle of any crowd. The rain pelts my body and the thunder booms loudly overhead. Katniss shouts my name over and over, but I do not dare look back. I can't bear to look at her. I need to get away.

_Don't look back. Don't look back, _I chant to myself, and I don't.

But there's one thing I that I make sure I do.

Run.

**Katniss POV**

He stands frozen in the doorway, eyes gaping. Several emotions play across the angular plains of his face: Shock. Anger. Hurt. Betrayal.

"Gale," I manage to whisper. I toss the duvet cover off of me and hastily make my way to him.

"No," he pants, still frozen with shock.

"Gale, please," I say imploringly, reaching my arm out to touch his.

Gale unfreezes the moment that our bodies come into contact. He draws his arm away from mine as if I had bitten him. I look into his eyes that are practically mirror images of mine, begging for him to understand and he returns my stare with a look of disgust.

"Katniss…" He says my name like a question. The look of disgust on his face goes back to pain. _Why? _his eyes seem to ask me. He shakes his head slowly and bolts away from me towards the stairs.

I look back at Peeta and see that he has gotten himself out of bed. I glance at him with pleading eyes and he sighs.

"Go Katniss. I'll meet you outside," he says, walking around the bed to the still open window. I nod quickly and run out the door.

My stomach does a somersault and I wince. Why did Gale have to find out like this?

I nearly fall down the stairs as I hastily sprint out the front door. Outside, the rain falls hard, making loud pitter-patter noises on the pavement. It's pretty cold out too; my breath forms little clouds of vapor in front of me.

"Katniss!" I hear Prim's voice coming from behind me, but I ignore it, racing ahead into the downpour.

I look frantically to my left and right, trying to see what direction Gale was headed in. There he is; he's running west towards the Seam and I dash in the same direction, chasing after him.

"Katniss!" I hear Peeta's heavy, lumbering footfalls as he attempts to catch up to me. Right now, that prosthetic leg was doing him no good. I spare him a glance over my shoulder, but keep running after Gale.

"Gale! Gale!" I call his name over and over again, but my shouts are lost in the sounds of the pounding rain and claps of thunder. My soaking-wet clothes feel heavy with water and cling tightly against the shape of my body. The skin of my arms and legs are raised with tiny goose bumps. I try to ignore the deadness in my limbs caused by the biting cold and force my feet to keep moving. Breathe in… One foot in front of the other… Breathe out. The pattern continues like this as I will my body to keep going. I push the feelings of cold and numbness to the back of my mind, forcing myself to think of nothing but to keep on moving.

Gale and I run at the same speed, separated by no more than seventy-five metres, but I am unable to catch up to him. I continue to shout out his name, even though I know that doing so is completely pointless. He doesn't even glance at me. Gale was like a running machine. He was so fit and if need be, he could go for hours on end. I chase him for what feels like hours until we reach the edge of the Seam.

Suddenly, my ankle rolls and I feel my body falling forward. I collapse onto the hard, cold gravel road and cry out in pain. My knees scrape across the gravel, shaving away the top layer of skin and I whimper as shards of rock dig and cut into the soft flesh of my hands. I scramble to get up, trying to ignore the pain; the injured spots are stinging like dozens of little needles and my hands and knees are bloody. I set my foot down trying to see if it can bear any weight. With a sharp stab of pain, I find myself collapsing down again into the sharp, rocky gravel.

_Get up Katniss! _I shout mentally, picking myself up off the floor. I get up, but there's no use in running. Gale's so far away now that I can only see the blurred shape of his coal black jacket. Besides, I'd get nowhere with this ankle. A few tears cascade down my cheeks and I wince in pain from the sharp, throbbing pain in it. I gasp, sucking in the icy air that freezes my lungs and throat.

As I continue to watch Gale disappear into the icy, pelting rain, my head starts spinning and dark spots begin to cloud my vision. All of a sudden, the ground seems to swirl up from underneath me and the world around me is whirling. I feel my body starting to sway as I lose my balance and fall to the wet ground.

"Katniss! Katniss!!" I hear Peeta shouting from not too far away. His footsteps draw nearer to me and I feel his hands cradling my head.

It's the last thing I feel before being consumed by the numbing, black emptiness.

* * *

**So how was that? I think it was one of the longest chapters so far.. Tell me what you think about the story--anything. Constructive Criticism, your ideas (I'd love to hear from you), things you liked... etc. Leave a review, anonymous or signed, or PM me if you'd like! **

**Peace,  
--PeetaMellarkLove**


	11. New Mission

**A/N: Hey everybody! I've been busy with school stuff recently and haven't had much time to write! So, here's the next chapter and I PROMISE the next one will have more action. You just wait and see ;)**

**Also, I'm starting another story and this time, it will be co-written with the AMAZING Dramatic Sneeze! :) So watch out for it! First chapter will be coming out sometime soon!**

**Finally, thanks to all my reviewers! I got 18 reviews (I think) for the last chapter! The number of reviews has surpassed 100 which is a feat I thought I'd never accomplish. I seriously thought that my story would maybe only get like 20 reviews or something. So thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! It makes me EXTREMELY happy! You have no idea.**

**Last but definitely NOT least: An ENORMOUS thanks to my beta laxgoal31! If you're reading this, please know that all your help is sooooooo great and I am extremely grateful!**

**Okay, so on with the story!**

* * *

10. New Mission

**Carson POV **

**Location: Capitol**

**Time: 9:00am**

"Shall I do it then, sir?" I ask, confirming that I am actually supposed to go through with the plan.

"Yes, Carson. It is the perfect plan, don't you see? Perfect..." President Snow trails off. "It is ingenious indeed," he continues, "because it ensures the death of both of our young star crossed lovers—and the most crucial part, it will make their deaths look like an accident—merely a malfunction of machinery."

"But what about the rest? Haymitch, Cinna, Portia... They'll all be killed if we follow through with this!" I exclaim nervously. It wasn't in my nature to be violent. I don't want to be involved with the death of anybody let alone a large number of people, but this was a special mission given to me by the President and only a fool would turn it down.

"Ahh, dear old Haymitch. Long ago, we were what one might consider acquaintances," the President says, thoughtfully—likely remembering a thing of the past. "Their deaths will be sacrifices towards the greater good. It's the girl and boy that I want, the rest are just collateral."

"But isn't there any other way to--" I begin but am cut off.

"Hush, Carson," the President scolds sternly. "There is no other way. Abernathy and the stylists are probably involved with the rebellion anyways. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone," he says. President Snow pauses for a moment.

"The rebellion is like a weed, and to get rid of a weed, you must cut it out at the roots, which in this case are Fire Girl and Lover Boy. If you don't, the weed will spread. If we don't get rid of them soon enough, the rebellion will grow." The President spins around in his chair to face me. He rests his elbows on the desk in front of him and clasps his hands together, his chubby fingers flexing and unflexing against each other like the legs of a spider.

"So now do you see, Carson, just how important it is to get rid of our most recent Hunger Games victors? Do you see just how small the others' casualties are within the greater scheme of things?"

"Yes sir, I see," I reply because I have no other choice than to agree with him. I wince, but try hard to keep the expression on my face as unfeeling and unaffected as possible.

On the inside though, I'm scared. I don't want to do it; I don't want to be the death of another person, but this was my chance to prove myself. All that hard work for the President would not go to waste. I could not let him down.

"Good then; it spares me the work of finding someone else to replace you," President Snow huffs, patting me roughly on the shoulder. "Now I don't care how you go about doing it, just make sure it is done. I want them dead, do you hear me?"

"Yes sir." I say, placing my fist over my heart and bowing—a sign of utmost respect.

"Thank you," he says with a malicious grin, "you are dismissed."

I walk out of his office, the heavy oak doors swinging shut behind me. I only know that I must complete my mission: kill Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

"Katniss! Katniss, can you hear me?" A voice calls, echoing as if the speaker were shouting in a tunnel. The voice reverberates in my own mind; bouncing off the walls of my head and making it hurt.

"Katniss, if you can hear me, open your eyes, squeeze my hand... do something, anything...please?" the voice sounds desperate, frantic almost. Then I recognize whom the voice belongs to. It's _my _Peeta.

Well, I can hear him, so I try to open my eyes only to find that I am unable to.

I try again, this time attempting to wiggle my fingers. I succeed and in response, Peeta lightly squeezes my hand.

The corners of my mouth pull upwards into a smile which is answered with Peeta touching his soft lips to mine. My eyes flutter open in surprise and I see Peeta's smiling face hovering right above mine.

"Peeta," I say, grinning. My voice is quiet and raspy.

Peeta doesn't say anything, just peppers my face with kisses. They trace along my jaw, down to my collarbone and back up. For a minute I forget everything; all that exists is me and Peeta. But then a question comes to mind.

"Peeta?" He stops the kisses and looks up at me. "Where am I?" I ask. I pointedly take a glance around the room. It is small, with plain, white walls and a tiny, curtained window. And it smells weird, like old people. It's not somewhere I've been before. I look to the side and see that I'm lying in a small bed with completely white sheets.

"Sorry, I didn't mention it. You're at the doctor's building."

_Doctor's?_ is my first thought. _Why would I be at the doctor's?_ Only the rich went to the doctor's.

"How did I get here?" I ask Peeta, giving him a quizzical look.

He looks at me as if I'm missing something big. "You fainted out in the rain, don't you remember?" I shake my head at him.

Peeta sighs. "Well you fainted, so I carried you here. I would've taken you home, but this was closer. By the time I got here, your lips were blue; the doctor told me that you nearly escaped hypothermia. Of course, the fact that you're wearing nearly nothing didn't help at all," Peeta chuckles.

I sit there confused for a moment, and then in a sudden rush, I remember everything; last night with Peeta, Gale walking in on us, chasing Gale for seemingly miles in the rain, blacking out on the cold, wet ground. My body goes completely rigid.

Peeta must feel my body freeze under his because he starts to gently stroke my face with his thumb.

"Katniss, are you alright?" he asks, concern tainting his voice.

"Gale," I whisper, staring blankly at the wall. I turn my gaze over to Peeta who now looks very worried. "Where's Gale?"

"Katniss," Peeta says slowly, "I'm sure Gale's alright."

"Gale..." I whisper and feel the prickling of tears in my eyes. Why did he have to find out the way he did? Now he probably hates me.

I sit up, ignoring the head rush it gives me and lean my head into Peeta's shoulder.

"I've ruined everything Peeta! Gale hates me!" I whisper into his ear. A small tear escapes me and rolls hot and slow down my cheek.

Peeta turns his head, catching my lips in a sweet kiss. His lips kiss away the falling tear and his hand comes up to stroke my hair.

"He doesn't hate you. You're impossible to hate," he whispers back, with his lips grinning against my cheek.

I let out a light chuckle despite myself. "You're biased."

"Maybe," Peeta laughs and then pulls me in for another kiss. It's slow and reassuring; the kind of kiss that makes you feel like everything is going to be alright.

Before things can progress any further, we're interrupted by a quick rap on the door. Peeta and I jump apart and he reassumes his position in the bedside chair he was sitting in earlier. The door swings open and a kind looking man with wispy, graying hair and a pair of green scrubs walks in.

"Ahh, Katniss," he says, smiling down at me, "I see that you're awake now. My name is Dr. Evans."

He sticks his right hand out at me. Smiling politely, I take it and give it a light shake.

"You seem to have taken quite a fall out there. Your hands and knees are pretty torn up, but I've sprayed some anti-bacterial healing spray on the cuts, so they should be completely healed in the next couple of days. I've got more here for you to take with you," he says, pulling a small aerosol canister from his pocket and handing it to me.

I take a quick look at the label which reads "_Second Skin"_.

"Just spray it on the affected areas two times a day and you should be alright. Your ankle on the other hand…" he trails off and then reaches down to uncover my ankle which is hidden by the bed sheet.

He lifts my leg gently, gingerly examining my ankle in his hands. "Tell me if this hurts," he says. He slowly rotates it to the right and I feel a stab of pain. Wincing, I nod my head at the doctor.

"Your ankle is pretty swollen and you have pain when it is rotated. I'm assuming that you have a minor sprain. It's not anything serious, so you'll be able to go on your tour as scheduled," Dr. Evans smiles at me. "I'll go get some painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills so that the ankle doesn't get any worse. Stay here for a moment, while I go and grab those for you. I'll be right back." The doctor turns and walks out the door leaving me and Peeta alone again.

"Peeta, what time is it?" I ask him.

"It is…" he starts, pulling his wrist out in front of him to look at his watch, "1:30"

"But we were supposed to leave at 12:30!" I gasp in horror.

Peeta gives me a reassuring smile and takes my hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "It's all taken care of. I phoned Haymitch and your mom to tell them what happened. Haymitch decided to take the train at 8:30am 'cause there was something he needed to take care of at the Capitol anyways."

Just then Dr. Evans comes back through the door with some bottles in his hands and his arm threaded through the hole of some crutches. "Okay," he says, walking over to me and handing me two small, rattling bottles. "Here are the pain-killers and the anti-inflammatory pills. Take one in the morning and if need be, you can take one at night. You will need these," he explains, handing me the crutches, "to walk for now, just until you feel good enough to walk on your own. Other than that, you're free to go." He smiles at me and offers his hand so that I can get up. Peeta is on my other side in an instant helping me get my balance. He takes the bottles from my hands so that I can properly adjust myself on the crutches. Once I'm upright, Dr. Evans ushers me towards the door and then walks Peeta and I back to the lobby.

"Thank you Dr. Evans," I smile at him.

"You're very welcome. It has been my pleasure, Ms. Everdeen," he says kindly. "I hope you have a good time on your Districts Tour."

"I'm sure we will," I say politely.

Peeta holds open the lobby door for me as I try to fit through with my crutches. Through the doors' glass panes I can see a black limo waiting for us.

"Here, let me help you," Peeta says gallantly, getting in front of me so that he can open the limo door. I probably could have done it by myself, but I let him do it for me. I hand him the crutches as I hobble on one foot and duck my head, trying to get into the car. Peeta laughs lightly at my disabledness.

"Shut up," I mutter playfully, but he does as I say.

He shuts the door softly behind me and walks around the limo to get in on the other side.

I'm gazing absentmindedly at the floor of the limo when I see a suitcase sitting there.

"What's that for?" I ask Peeta who is just getting in and shutting the door after himself.

"That," he says, "is for you. It's a change of clothes. When I called your mother earlier to tell her what happened, I also asked her to get a change of clothes ready for you. Then I had the limo driver go to your house to pick up the clothes."

"Thanks, that was nice of you," I smile at him sincerely.

"You're welcome. Besides I couldn't let anybody else see you like this—other than myself of course," he says, looking over my tank-top, short-short-wearing self with a devilish grin plastered on his face.

"Peeta Mellark!" I gasp, also grinning. I reach over and give him a playful smack on the arm.

"Joking!" he laughs. "But, I must say you do look beautiful, no matter what you're wearing,"

I feel my face flush with warmth at his words. Peeta leans across the aisle to give me a peck on the cheek.

"Now you'd better get changed. There'll be lots of cameras at the station," he says as he pulls away from me.

I reach down onto the floor and pick up the suitcase. I unzip the zipper, revealing a light yellow sundress, sweater and sandals. I take out the dress and shoes and place them on the seat beside me. Underneath where the dress lay, are some more clothes; undergarments, sweatpants and pajamas for the trip.

I think my mother intended for me to wear the yellow dress. I unfold it, half crouching in the limited space of the limo, and hold it out in front of me. I decide that I really should wear it. I could at least keep up my appearances for Cinna.

"Turn around or close your eyes or something," I tell Peeta.

"I don't mind seeing you," he says grinning.

I roll my eyes. "Do we have to go over this again? Now turn around! I mind."

"Okay, okay! Eyes closed," he chuckles.

I turn around, blushing, and start to remove my tank top. I slip the soft, yellow dress over my head and pull it down over the rest of my body. I take off my flannel shorts and toss them back into the suitcase.

"You can open your eyes now," I tell Peeta as I turn and sit back onto the plush seat. However, Peeta keeps his eyes shut with a dreamy expression on his face.

We sit in silence for a moment until Peeta speaks. "What do you think the other districts will be like?" he asks, sighing and finally opening his eyes.

"I don't know, Peeta."

"Do you think we'll get to meet the other tributes' families? Like Rue's and Thresh's?" he asks absentmindedly.

Silence.

Images of Rue fill my mind and my eyes glaze over with warm tears. Already my mind begins to vivdly recount the more gruesome moments of my time in the arena. I wouldn't be surprised if my next sleep period would be one filled with never-ending nightmares.

Peeta realizes his mistake at once and look of regret dominates his expression.

"Katniss… I—I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He moves over to sit beside me.

I press my face into the nook between is neck and shoulder and allow my head to rest there. I don't say anything for a while; I just sit there as Peeta rubs my back with his hand.

"Peeta," I say, once I've found my voice again. "I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know if I could've handled all this alone."

"I don't know if I'd be able to live without you," he whispers into my hair. "I wouldn't be able to handle anything at all. There's no one I'd rather be with right now."

I smile and shut my eyes, listening to the soft pitter-pattering of rain on the windows and allow the constant rhythm of the moving limo to lull me into a tranquil, thankfully dreamless, sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please leave me a review! Anonymous, signed—whatever. You can even PM me if you'd like to! Tell me what you think! Also, I have a new poll on my profile: Team Peeta, Team Gale or Team "boy who brushed Katniss at the Reaping". You decide!**


	12. AUTHOR'S NOTE

A/N: Okay, I know I'm not really supposed to make a whole chapter for an author's note, but I have to say something.

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES! I know, I'm bad :S Please put down the pitchforks and flaming torches. *backs away slowly* I've been really busy recently and I went on vacation for the month of July. I have about ¾ of a chapter written, but I've just had like zero time to write.

Also, my fantabulous beta Laxgoal31 has decided to take a break from , so I don't know what that will mean for my story in terms of it being beta-ed. Lax will be on hiatus and may not be returning. Either way, you and your stories will be missed very, very (by me at least).

So I hope you guys all forgive me! Hopefully the updates will come more regularly once summer is over. I thought I would have time to write during the summer, but I guess not.

Here's a line from the next chapter… a teaser of sorts? Haha I dunno.

"_Rue!" I cry. But there's no stopping her now. With a powerful leap she lunges, claws extended, at my throat. _

_I'm not even fast enough to pull an arrow out of my quiver. There's nothing left to do but scream. _


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